


Not So Innocently

by Timcanpy_Sees_All



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Children, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Final Battle, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Marriage, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Romance, Smut, Timey-Wimey, Vaginal Sex, Visions in dreams, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:15:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24474880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timcanpy_Sees_All/pseuds/Timcanpy_Sees_All
Summary: Lenalee collects an Innocence that gives her visions of a future with Allen. There's only one problem: if she wants the future she sees, she needs to find him and make it a reality herself!
Relationships: Lenalee Lee/Allen Walker
Comments: 42
Kudos: 79





	1. A Confusing Glimpse of the Future

**Author's Note:**

> Attempting to write porn with plot. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Boredom is bad for me, but you get something to enjoy from it.
> 
> Edit: Huh... this developed more plot than I originally planned.

Lenalee’s pulled the antique cross tightly against her as she dodged a heavy blow from an Akuma. It was warm against her stomach, and for an instant, she felt drawn in by the faint glow emanating from the stained glass at its heart.

Then she became aware of a persistent pressure between her legs and a weight on top of her, pressing her into a mattress. Lenalee gasped and felt her fingers dig into someone else’s back at the surprisingly comfortable stretch inside of her and the unexpected tightening in her core. She tried to squeeze her thighs together against the sensation, but found her way blocked by someone’s hips as he thrust into her. The air was filled with panting and the wet sounds of sex, and it took a moment for Lenalee’s suddenly lust-hazed mind to comprehend that she _shouldn’t be here_.

That thought vanished as soon as it had come when her climax hit, and it hit _hard_. She cried out, shaking as she clutched at the man making love to her. He let out a groan against her neck as he stiffened in her arms and his movements slowed, and vaguely, she became aware of three things. One, she’d orgasmed even though she knew she hadn’t been in a sexual situation _at all_ only moments before. Two, she had found herself in the middle—no, the end, she corrected herself—of having sex, something she’d never done before and never expected to ever do. And three, that whoever her partner was had just reached completion _inside of her_.

Her eyes snapped open and found a pair of half-lidded silver ones. Allen caught her lips in a languid kiss, and still a little foggy from orgasm, her eyes slid shut once more as she returned it. It wasn’t until she felt him slip out of her that she remembered this _wasn’t normal_ and panicked thoughts of _what is going on_ raced through her mind.

She scrambled away from Allen and couldn’t help the small whimper that escaped her at the feeling of his seed oozing from her. _Oh God, he really did finish inside_.

Allen, for his part, looked positively baffled. “Lenalee?” He reached out with his human hand, likely to cup her cheek.

“W-what’s going on?” she stammered from against the headboard.

His hand froze in the gap between them. “Huh?”

Allen shouldn’t be here. He’d fled the Order months ago and was on the run. And for that matter, where _was_ here? Not the church she’d been battling Akuma in, that was for sure. She glanced around. They were in a four-poster bed far too nice to be in Headquarters or an inn they might put the exorcists up in. The room was large and elegant, and across the way she could see a pair of French doors that led to a balcony. Though dark, she could see clothing—what must be theirs—scattered about the floor. The white of a wedding dress, in particular. That’s when she realized there was a ring on her finger as well, and when she faced Allen again, she noticed a similar glint of gold on his…

His hand wasn’t the familiar red of his Innocence. It was metal now, glinting silver in the moonlight that filtered in, and she heard the faint whirring of gears when he moved it.

She also noticed with a lurch that though the scars from her crystal-type Innocence stood out against her pale skin, the anklets themselves were nowhere to be found.

They stared at each other in confusion. Then, Allen turned away. He slipped out of bed and padded over to the wardrobe, where he retrieved a nightgown for her and a nightshirt for himself. He held it out to her. She gratefully pulled the gown over her head.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Lenalee hesitated a moment before answering. “I’m… confused.”

“By what?”

She scooted and patted the bed next to her for him to sit down. He joined her once he’d shrugged on the oversized shirt. “I was on a mission just now. I collected the Innocence, and next thing I know, we’re here… um…” she trailed off, too embarrassed to continue for a few seconds. Lenalee squirmed as she became all too aware of the slick feeling between her legs once again. “…being intimate. I think the Innocence did something, and I have no idea what.”

Allen ran his human fingers through his hair and leaned back on his metallic hand. It spoke volumes that he didn’t question the bizarre situations that came with their job. He waited for Lenalee to recover from her embarrassment, then asked tentatively, “Do you know when we are?”

“I don’t know when _or_ where,” she replied. Lenalee shifted again. The dull ache wasn’t unpleasant exactly—quite the opposite, if she was being honest—but having no knowledge of how she got to this point was unnerving.

He nodded. “We beat the Earl,” he explained, “a little over a year ago. The Noah clan is no more—well, they’re all still around and still one big family, but they’re all human and mostly harmless.”

“And your arm?”

“All the Innocence and Akuma disappeared when the Earl was defeated.”

“And everyone’s okay?”

“It depends what you mean by okay,” he admitted, “but there weren’t any casualties. Krory has dentures and the science section had to make me a new arm, but everyone survived the final battle. And Nea—the Fourteenth—isn’t in my head anymore. It’s just me now.” Then he surprised her by laughing.

“What?”

“I wasn’t expecting this kind of conversation on our wedding night.”

Her eyes widened. “Wedding night?” she squeaked. Though the rings and discarded dress should have clued her in. And the position she had found herself in before. Lenalee wasn’t sure about Allen, but she was inclined to believe that he was like her and wouldn’t be sleeping with someone before marriage. “And Komui was okay with this?”

“It took a lot of convincing.” He chuckled at the memory. “And some trickery, if I’m being honest. It was all Reever could do to keep him from finding out we were getting married until _after_ the ‘I do’s’.”

That should have been obvious, but it made Lenalee frown a little. “Should you be telling me this?” If she had somehow found herself in the future, wouldn’t knowing what would soon happen cause problems? Knowing ahead of time might clue her brother in that something was up before Allen even had a chance to propose.

Allen shrugged. “I don’t think it will change the outcome. You would have mentioned it before now if you remembered any of this. For all we know, this is just a dream the Innocence conjured up and not really the future at all.”

“Wouldn’t you know if you were real or not?”

“I _feel_ real,” he replied. “And I would hope the Innocence wouldn’t make up some my recent memories.”

She didn’t ask what those memories were. She’d pried enough. “Then let’s just assume this is reality and I won’t remember when I get back.” She preferred that theory to the dream one. It meant that there was a good future ahead.

Lenalee considered the situation a moment, then laid down next to Allen. He shifted in surprise. “Are you sure? I could—”

“This is fine,” she murmured sleepily. They’d already had sex, even if she had only participated in the ending. Her eyes slid closed, and she felt his fingers thread gently through her hair.


	2. A Recurring Dream

“Lenalee?”

Her eyes fluttered open, and the familiar sight of the infirmary’s ceiling greeted her. She sat bolt upright, heart in her throat. All she had were hazy memories of the dream. Allen was there. She could distinctly remember talking with him. He’d told her the war between exorcists and Noah would turn out well, hadn’t he? And they’d…

Her face went hot. They’d had sex. Oh God, she’d dreamt of having sex with Allen. While on a mission, no less!

“Lenalee? What’s wrong?” Komui pressed a hand against her forehead. “Are you ill?”

“No!” Lenalee squeaked. Her blush deepened. “Um, where’s the Innocence?”

“The cross didn’t have any, I’m afraid,” Komui said with a sigh. “The Akuma must have been swarming to distract us from something else, but we haven’t found what yet.”

No Innocence? She stared at her brother like he’d grown a second head. Then what was that green glow when she’d grabbed it? What had happened to her? Komui continued, not noticing her surprise, “The Head Nurse said you fainted from exhaustion. We’ve been pushing you and the rest of the exorcists too hard. I’m sorry.”

This wasn’t simple exhaustion. Part of her could still feel the tingle on her lips where Allen had kissed her, and the ghost of her previous orgasm lingering in her limbs. The blush that had been dissipating in her confusion returned with a vengeance. _Please don’t let me have been making noises in my sleep._

“As such,” said Komui, a worried expression on his face, “you’ll be off active duty for a bit until the Head Nurse clears you for return.”

Lenalee nodded. Yes, that was probably for the best until she figured out what was going on. There was the chance that the nurse was right and that fatigue, both physical and mental, had caused her to have a vivid dream where everyone could end up safe and happy. Though she had the distinct impression that she’d been flung forward in time. If it were just a dream, wouldn’t she have just been that time’s Lenalee, not her current self out of time?

* * *

By the time she returned to her room that evening, Lenalee was beginning to agree with the nurse’s diagnosis. She _was_ tired, and lying in bed, she couldn’t help but wonder if part of the problem was the thoughts racing through her head. Thoughts of _someone_ specifically. She couldn’t really remember what they’d talked about, but she _did_ remember, much to her shame, the sex.

She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about it, mulling over how it made her feel over and over again. Mostly because she had never thought about Allen that way. He was cute, sure, but she’d never seen him even in a romantic light, let alone a sexual one. Add to that the fact that her brother was somewhat overprotective (okay, _very_ overprotective), and there was no way they could have a relationship at all, and certainly not one of the nature in her dream.

She stared at the ceiling, fidgeting, memories of the electricity that had hummed through her veins in the dream returning. She squeezed her eyes shut and thighs together, as if that would quell the budding arousal below.

And then she felt someone gently pry her knees apart. Dimly, Lenalee realized she must be dreaming again because when she opened her eyes, she found Allen there, pressing soft kisses to her inner thigh and working his way in. Her blush deepened the closer he got to the ache between her legs, and his silver eyes never left hers as he flicked his tongue along her folds.

Lenalee let out a gasp and fisted the sheets—not the ones from her room at the Order, she’d have noticed if she could break eye-contact with the white-haired man. His tongue was a bit more insistent with the next stroke, slipping in slightly to taste more of her.

“A-Allen,” she breathed, finally wresting her eyes from the sight of him sucking and licking at her to lay her head back against the pillows. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and she squirmed at the attention he lavished upon her. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop, thought that she _should_ tell him to stop, but _damn_ if it didn’t feel good.

Then he smoothed a finger against her entrance and slipped it inside.

Lenalee gasped out something unintelligible that sounded a bit like, _“Oh God,”_ before rocking into his eager mouth and curling finger. One of her hands left his hair to stifle the wanton noises escaping her, but he caught her before it got far.

“Sorry, was it too much?” he asked, concern apparent in his face.

“N-no,” she stammered. “I just… I don’t… what if someone hears?”

Allen smiled. “It’s just us,” he promised. He crawled up her body and stroked her cheek with his metal thumb before capturing her lips.

She’d almost forgotten they were married in this dream. Maybe they had a home entirely to themselves now? But these thoughts flitted away as quickly as they came when Allen ran his tongue along her lips, seeking permission. She reciprocated hungrily, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him down so their bodies were flush against each other. The taste of herself on his tongue elicited a moan of approval from her throat that took her by surprise.

His slacks were the only barrier between them, but that didn’t stop him from rubbing his clothed erection deliciously against her. Impatiently, Lenalee tugged at the offending article of clothing. If this was a dream, she wanted to take full advantage of it. Maybe completion would give her the closure she needed to stop thinking about him like this.

Allen laughed lightly into the kiss. “Think you’re ready?”

Not trusting herself to speak, Lenalee nodded and shifted back to give Allen some space to shuck off his pants. The sight of his cock, erect and giving a light twitch when exposed to the cooler air, made Lenalee blush all the more. He was bigger than she thought he’d be. Not enough to make her nervous, but… She hadn’t gotten a good look at it last time, and she bit her lip. It would fit, she knew from her last experience, and if it was anything like before, she was looking forward to it doing so.

He stroked himself as he settled between her legs. His lips found hers once more as he pressed inside. His length stretched her in a way she wasn’t used to, but it didn’t hurt. Part of her wondered if it was because this wasn’t their first time, but her train of thought quickly derailed at the sensation of it inside her. “Nngh, Allen…” she groaned as he sheathed himself to his hilt.

Heat radiated from their union, and Allen broke away to take a shaky breath. Lenalee gave an approving hum at the full feeling. He kissed her again, and their tongues intertwined in a sensual dance as he rocked his hips, gradually at first but picking up the pace as he built a steady rhythm.

Gradually, that tightening inside her returned, and Lenalee clung to Allen, moaning in earnest now and rising to meet each of his thrusts. He balanced on his metal hand and traced patterns across her body with his human one. He kneaded her breast, massaged her thigh, all while keeping that tempo that was slowly pulling Lenalee apart. His lips left hers to trace hot open-mouthed kisses along her jaw. He sucked small bruises into the delicate flesh on her neck.

When his fingers found their way between them and added more pressure to her already oversensitive nerves, it became too much. Like a glass overflowing, pure unadulterated pleasure washed over her, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck as she trembled around him. Allen thrust once, twice, thrice more, then found his own release.

They were a sweaty, panting mess as Allen withdrew and rolled to the side to lay next to Lenalee, but both were satisfied. Lenalee snuggled closer and laid her head on his chest. The sound of Allen’s heart, strong and pounding from their recent exertion, soothed her. The arm he had around her, fingers grazing up and down her arm, was enough to lull her to sleep. Just as she was drifting off, Allen placed a chaste kiss on her forehead and whispered quiet words filled with love.


	3. An Ultimatum

It was disappointing, waking up alone the next morning after something like that. Even though she knew it was a dream, Lenalee could still feel the lingering effects of her midnight orgasm. She closed her eyes and ghosted her hand over her clothed chest, wishing the dream to last just a little longer as arousal curled within her at the foggy memory of Allen’s hands on her. Of his lips pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses against her thighs. Of his tongue lapping against her, _inside_ her.

Her hand strayed lower and slipped past the waistband of her shorts and panties. Just at the thought of Allen, she was growing wet with want. Her brother would be so disappointed in her. Not that that had stopped her from touching herself any number of times before. The only difference now was that she’d put a face to her imaginary lover.

Lenalee pressed the heel of her hand against her as she massaged her clitoris. In her fantasy, it was Allen’s fingers and not his tongue just yet. She imagined sweet nothings for him to whisper in her ear as he worked her over, his other hand—hers, in reality, but reality wasn’t what she wanted at the moment—kneaded her breast and played lightly with the nipple through the fabric of her shirt. She whispered his name as she slipped a finger inside, careful not to be too loud in case someone happened to be walking down the hall.

In her mind’s eye, Allen’s lips trailed along her jawline, down her neck, chest, belly, pressing butterfly kiss after butterfly kiss to her skin, then down between her legs. Her shorts felt too restrictive now, and she pulled them off to better pleasure herself. Two fingers inside now, and she curled and moved them with practiced skill. She pictured Allen licking and sucking her as he’d done in the dream, tweaking herself in an approximation of what she imagined, as her fingers thrust back and forth.

She’d been closer than she realized. Lenalee bit her lip as she came to stifle the sound of her orgasm. Her body went taut as she rode it out, then she slumped back against the mattress. She felt warm and tingly all over, but the disappointment of waking up without Allen next to her lingered.

She blushed and rolled onto her side, her features set in a frustrated pout. Why _Allen?_ Why was she dreaming about being married to him? Of having sex with him? There were any number of men at the Order, and a few missing in action besides, who could just as easily be the focus of her daydreams. Heck, if she picked someone currently here, she could experience actual sex, not just what she thought it would be like. But she knew she couldn’t use someone like that. That’s why her daydreams had always featured a nebulously handsome but undefined figure until now.

What had changed? Allen had been gone for _months_ , so it wasn’t like their relationship could have grown or changed in that time. He’d been on the run since November, and here she was, just after her 18th birthday, pining for him for absolutely no reason other than a few dreams brought on by exhaustion.

But was it _really_ exhaustion? All of the exorcists had been pushed to their limits since Allen left, Kanda vanished, and Lavi and Bookman were abducted by the Noah clan, so it wasn’t unreasonable to think that her body couldn’t keep up with the added strain. Everyone was having trouble. And yet, since the start of the dreams, she hadn't felt physically tired at all. Blissed out and satisfied from phantom touches, maybe a little mentally drained from the near-constant anxiety, but no physical fatigue.

Despite what Komui said yesterday, she couldn’t help but wonder if Innocence was involved in all this somehow. While the dreams were fading from her mind as they were wont to do, there had been too many consistencies in oddly specific details between them even if they were hazy. For example, they were married. While she knew she wanted to wait until marriage for that kind of intimacy, that detail had never come up in her fantasies before, consciously or subconsciously.

 _Wait a minute…_ She would need to double-check the Finder’s report that led them on the wild goose chase, but that one word, _marriage_ , struck a chord with something in her memory. The rumor that had brought them out to collect Innocence was that the antique cross would show women their wedding day in such detail and with such accuracy, that young ladies everywhere had clamored to be able to touch it. If for some reason in Lenalee’s case it had overshot its prediction to her wedding _night_ …

But Komui had said there was no Innocence in that cross, and Lenalee had had a second dream that was just as vivid as the first that had nothing to do with their wedding, no cross involved. Even if their being husband and wife was a common thread between both.

Lenalee got up and dressed quickly. Hevlaska might have an idea, and no one would question her going to see the guardian of the Innocence. Lenalee often visited her after all. Hevlaska, large and inhuman as she was, frightening as some of her history could be, was still part of Lenalee’s world, and so she would occasionally stop by to chat.

As predicted, no one spared Lenalee a second glance as she made her way to where the guardian of the cube was housed. Hevlaska, too, wasn’t surprised by her sudden visit, though she did seem a little taken aback by Lenalee’s question.

“Are you sure there wasn’t any Innocence in that cross we retrieved?”

“Yes… It was just metal and glass.”

Lenalee frowned at this news. Well, that hadn’t been unexpected. Krory would have brought it straight here with Komui after she was safely in the infirmary. That still didn’t explain her visions. “When I touched it, I saw my wedding day.” A little bit of a lie, but even without her brother here, she didn’t want to share the truth. The walls had ears, and it was bad enough that she was mentioning one of the taboo phrases (as far as Komui was concerned) within the Order’s walls. “There has to more to it than that.”

Hevlaska considered this new information. “There are ancient magics besides Innocence.”

“I dreamt about it again last night,” Lenalee added. Another lie, one she needed to elaborate on carefully. She wanted to get the gist of her visions across, but not that they were of a sexual nature. “It wasn’t my wedding, but I was married, and it felt too real to be just a dream. And both times, I was aware that it wasn’t my reality, whatever it was.”

“Then perhaps…” Hevlaska’s many arms reached for Lenalee, and the young woman held still through the examination. “Yes… there is Innocence within you.”

“Can you remove it?” asked Lenalee hopefully. While part of her would miss the dreams, she’d feel much better to have it out of her. It would be much safer here with Hevlaska than on—or in, as the case may be—Lenalee’s person.

The arms focused on one spot, then ceased all movement. “I cannot.” She sounded shocked. Hevlaska being shocked was never a good sign.

Lenalee suddenly found it hard to breathe. Where the many arms rested was her abdomen, above Lenalee’s womb. “It’s not… right there, is it?”

If Hevlaska were capable of normal human expression, hers might have been one of pity. “It is.”

Her hands flew to her stomach. It _felt_ normally enough. No pain, no bulge, no sign that there was anything inside of her that shouldn’t be. Though, if the thing she feared was there actually were, there’d be no way of knowing yet. But she _couldn’t_ be. But on the other hand, Innocence could and did do strange things wherever it went.

“Perhaps you should speak with the Head Nurse…” Hevlaska suggested as Lenalee tottered on her feet, close to collapsing in shock. “She may assuage your fears.”

Stopping in the infirmary did _nothing_ to a make her feel better. All she learned when she confided in the Head Nurse was that the woman couldn’t say for sure whether she was pregnant or not. “Barring the Innocence speeding the process along, I couldn’t tell you for at least another month yet.” The Head Nurse’s face softened. “It will be okay. If that comes to pass, I will be here to help you through it.”

Despite their reassurance that things would be okay, the nurse and Hevlaska did have to inform Komui, as the man in charge of Headquarters, of the Innocence present within his little sister, and what its location possibly meant for the exorcist. That went over about as well as anyone would expect. It took three members of the science section to hold him down before he went on a rampage after whoever or whatever had caused this unfortunate situation for his sister. As the Innocence was out of reach and the Akuma that had attacked them during her mission had already been destroyed courtesy of Krory, that left the ‘mysterious’ future husband Lenalee had visions of.

“Let me at him! I’ll show him what happens if he gets involved with my sister!”

“He hasn’t done anything yet!” shouted one science section member, holding on for dear life.

“And we don’t even know who he is!” cried another.

Reever hit Komui atop the head with his clipboard hard enough to cause a sharp _crack_ to resonate throughout the room. He glanced at Lenalee, who was too mortified by the _entire staff_ now knowing her possible predicament to do much to stop her brother. “ _Do_ you know who your future husband will be?” he asked, partially out of curiosity but also a little concern for that person’s safety.

Allen was already in danger without the added threat of Komui, so Lenalee lied. She seemed to be doing that a lot today. “I’m not sure. I know he’s not here at the Order, but…” Sorry whoever was next to join their ranks.

“I’ll protect you!” Komui sobbed, at last shaking off his captors and flinging his arms around Lenalee. “Whoever it is, I’ll—”

Enough was enough. She had to put her foot down now for all their sakes. “If you do _anything_ , I will never forgive you.” And with that, she marched away.

Jerry was far more considerate of her predicament. “I’ll see about calming that brother of yours down,” he promised as she helped around the kitchen. He’d even given her the cathartic task of punching down the bread dough he’d set out to rise earlier that morning.

“He’s just so… so infuriating! And now everyone knows I might be…” She shook her head. Giving voice to her fears would just make it feel more real.

She needn’t say more. Jerry gave her a reassuring hug. “It’ll all work out. I don’t know how, it just will. You’re happy in those visions, aren’t you?”

Lenalee bit her lip. Everything had seemed okay from what she could tell, but being caught up in satisfying sex wasn’t exactly a good measure of future happiness. She might have to pump dream-Allen for more information if she saw him again, though considering everything in the dreams slipped through her fingers like water, it might be an exercise in futility.

“I guess,” she said at last. Jerry gave her another squeeze, then let go so she could go back to punching dough.

“And no matter what,” Jerry said, “I’ll be rooting for you. You can always come here if things get to be too much.”

* * *

Right from the start, Lenalee was aware of the wet feeling between her legs. Her head leaned back against Allen’s shoulder as his fingers teased her, dipping in briefly before moving on to massage the bundle of nerves just above her entrance. She could feel, too, his cock, hard and hot, between them, and felt it twitch when she squirmed from his ministrations.

“S-stop,” she somehow managed to stammer. She needed to talk to this Innocence-induced phantom.

His fingers stilled but didn’t leave her. “Was that too much?”

“It’s not that.” Lenalee found the willpower to pull his hand away even though it made her ache with need. “I’m from the past again.”

Allen’s mouth fell open in a surprised ‘o’. He moved away, and Lenalee held back the dejected sigh when his body heat left her back. “Did something happen?”

“The Innocence is… that is… it’s inside of me, and Hevlaska can’t retrieve it.” Her hand found its way to her lower abdomen, where she knew it to be embedded. “I wanted to ask you… I need to know if… if I’m…” She didn’t want to say it. Even in a dream, saying it would make things too real.

“You’re not with child.” The voice that responded was Allen’s, but something about it was off. “Not yet, anyway.”

She turned toward him, wide eyes meeting perfectly calm green ones. That wasn’t the only thing wrong either. His hair, still white, had taken on a strange glow, almost creating a halo effect around his head. And that smile wasn’t one she’d ever seen on his face before. Her heart hammered in her chest. “What do you mean?”

Not-Allen’s grin broadened. “You haven’t had sex with him yet. I’m a bit disappointed. I thought for sure with these lovely dreams I’ve been giving you that you’d have jumped him by now.”

“You… you’re the Innocence?”

The being that most certainly wasn’t Allen laughed, a noise that sounded both heartbreakingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. “Yep. I figured I’d borrow his form for a bit, since you aren’t exactly doing what I want… or I guess _who_ I want.” It frowned. “I felt you getting it on earlier, but no sperm. Seriously, girl, you’ve got to hurry this along. I want my accommodator.”

Lenalee’s jaw dropped. “I did _not_ have sex!”

It tilted its head, considering her a moment. “Apparently not. You’re pretty good with your hands though. Great imagination, too.”

She couldn’t help it. She swung at this thing that looked like Allen. The being easily caught her fist and wrestled her down to the bed. “Easy there, Lena,” it said, “no point getting yourself worked up. Though, this _is_ a dream, so I guess it wouldn’t do much even if you did.”

“Get off me!”

“I will when you calm down. Just hear me out a minute, okay?”

Lenalee glared up at the Innocence that wore Allen’s face. If this bothered the being, it didn’t show it. “Do you know why I showed all those women their future husbands?”

“No, and I don’t want to.”

It giggled. “I was peeking into their futures. That’s my ability as Innocence. Most humans see it as one of the happiest days of their lives. It’s not always weddings. Sometimes it’s birth of their first child or what-have-you. All I’m interested in is their kids. See, I don’t work as a… what do your folk call them… equipment-type, that’s it. I need to be inside someone’s head to work.”

Slowly, it was coming together. “So you’re…”

“Seeing whose womb I can hitch a ride in, since my accommodator isn’t in this world yet,” it replied, grinning once more. “I give prophetic abilities to my wielder, but I can use that power to catch glimpses with just about anyone. You,” it released its hold of her arms to trace down her body through the valley of her breasts to rest its palm right atop her belly, “I saw carrying my accommodator. That’s why you saw yourself getting it on with Allen instead of just your wedding. I got a _little_ ahead of myself there.”

Lenalee knew her face had to be red as a tomato. “So these dreams are—”

“Visions of the future,” it finished for her. “Or a possible future. A bit of an amalgamation, really. You know, figuring out you and Allen is tough. Well, Allen anyway. That Noah in his head makes it nigh _impossible_ to see what’s going on with him through you. As it is, everything’s pretty hazy before the end of this damned war. Anyway, I need you to march your ass up to Allen Walker’s room when you wake up and ride him into the mattress.”

Wait, did it not know? How could it not know? “Allen’s not at the Order anymore. He fled months ago.”

Those impossibly green eyes widened. “You’re shitting me!”

At last it got off Lenalee, opting to pace around the room, muttering to itself. “No, this could still work. It’s got to work. Shit, why me? Why now?” It spun to face her. “Why couldn’t you have found that fucking cross _before_ he bailed?”

Hearing an Innocence, a supposed holy relic, swear worse than Kanda threw Lenalee for an absolute loop. “We didn’t receive reports of it until recently. Why? What’s wrong?”

The being pinched the bridge of its nose, and Lenalee wondered if Innocence could get headaches. “Because I’ve been busy while you ran around all day. I’ve run through a million scenarios, and if you don’t get knocked up by Allen Walker, the Earl wins.”

Lenalee gaped at the Innocence. “How does _that_ work?”

“Hell if I know. I just know every future that has you without a kid, Allen’s gone, either dead or swallowed up by that Noah in his skull, and the Innocence is toast while the Earl reigns. If my accommodator exists, whether they’re born before or after the final battle, everything’s a-OK. So,” it moved so quickly that Lenalee didn’t even get the chance to scream as it pushed her back onto the bed by her shoulders, “you _have_ to track Allen Walker down and bear his child.”

Then it cocked its head, as if considering a question she’d yet to ask. “And it’s got to be him. His sperm, your egg. Otherwise, no accommodator for me. In fact, I will actively reject _anything_ that goes on in your uterus that is not my accommodator, got it?” A little guiltily it added, “I wish we had time on our side so you could have a proper romance and let things happen naturally. I’d rather you choose whether and when to have his children than have me telling you to.”

“Then find a future where I don’t have to!”

“I’ve looked. Literally nothing.” It sighed, and Allen’s face looked so tired as it leaned its forehead against Lenalee’s. “I hate asking this of you, but there’s no time.”

“How long is there?”

It lifted its head and had a far-off expression on Allen’s face. “At least a year, no more than two. It’s hard to say. It all revolves around Allen and that Noah inside him, and while you’re not a bad host to see things through, anything dealing with him is opaque.”

Green eyes met hers again. “I can make sure you conceive with him and carry to term,” it said quietly, “so all you have to do is find him. I promise, these dreams your seeing are what will come to pass. You’ll be happy, no matter your present. It all converges to scenes like the ones I showed you.”

Lenalee turned her head away. “You can’t just show us having sex and expect me to believe you that everything’s fine.” Marriage, good sex, and children didn’t guarantee happiness after all.

“Then how about I show you everything I can until you find him? Not just the sex. The good and bad times too. You might not remember when you wake up, but you’ll know if it was a happy or sad dream.”

It sounded desperate, and if it was telling the truth, she could understand why. “Allen said that the Innocence vanished when the Earl was defeated. What happens to our child if you have to be in their head?”

“They stop seeing the future. It’s not like I give them brain damage or anything when all this is over. I’ve just avoided mention of them because they’re hard to pin down. Age, gender… a lot of that depends on when you conceive with Allen, and like I said—”

“Everything’s hazy with him.”

The Innocence nodded. “So will you do it?”

Lenalee hesitated. “I’ll consider it. _If_ you show me how this can all go wrong too. I still don’t believe you that there’s not a good future where I don’t get pregnant.”

“You won’t like it.”

“I don’t care. I have to know.”

It sighed, nodded. “Very well. I’ll do my best. Now then,” a coquettish grin replaced its serious expression, “you have a bit of time before you wake up. Shall I show you a few more _happy_ things before I start on the bad?”

Her face went bright red again. “Not with you!”

“It’d be with Allen,” it sing-songed. “So how about it?”

Lenalee stared at the not-so-innocent Innocence. Even though she hadn’t agreed yet, the halo faded, the eyes returned to their original silver hue, and Allen’s lips found hers, soft and insistent. In spite of her previous protests, she melted blissfully into him.


	4. An Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, some plot happened. I promise more fun next chapter, I swear.

The Innocence kept its word. Though the memories were as hazy upon waking as ever, she knew if they were good, bad, or sexual. The Innocence seemed to like reminding her of its task for her, as every few days she’d wake up feeling both the satisfaction of completion and the desperate desire for more intimacy. She told it off once for this, but it informed her without the least hint of shame, “You two have _a lot_ of sex. I think what I show you ought to reflect that.”

After almost a month and a half of mostly pleasant dreams, a few less so, and a few so nightmarish, she woke in a cold sweat knowing she’d witnessed the end of her world, Lenalee decided to trust the Innocence. Especially after the nurse (and her period, a little late from stress but arriving full force all the same) confirmed what she knew the Innocence had told her already: she wasn’t pregnant.

Komui was just as relieved by the news, especially as Central breathed down his neck to have their exorcists out in full force. “The Noah Clan are making their move,” they’d sniffed. “We can’t afford any exorcists off the front lines.”

At this news, Lenalee wondered if the Innocence had miscalculated in the time they had remaining.

“Nope, you’ve got at least half a year yet,” the Innocence replied when she asked after a particularly vigorous activities with Allen left her thoroughly spent. At this point, she was used to it popping up at awkward moments. It always waited until after amorous activities were finished, so Lenalee didn’t object too harshly anymore. She was past modesty at this point with the crystal that had taken up residency within her.

“Do you have any idea where Allen might be?”

The Innocence hummed to itself. “Well, you might find him on your mission tomorrow. Or you might not. Keep an eye out, I guess.”

“How do you know I might find him?”

“Because,” it said, placing a hand over her stomach, “I can sense the possibility of you conceiving. If you’re able to find him and get in his pants, anyway.”

She pushed its hand away. In this dream as in the last few, she could tell she was a couple months pregnant, and she didn’t like it touching her. The dream Allen she encouraged the touch of; the Innocence wearing his skin was a different matter entirely. It already pushed its luck simply by existing within her.

“I’m going to tell him what’s going on,” she informed the Innocence. One of the first things she’d decided, even before whether to go along with its scheme, was that she would explain the situation to Allen and see what he thought.

“That should be fine.” This was another thing she’d learned: when she told it her plans, the Innocence could make adjustments to its predictions based on them. “It doesn’t appear to make your happy endings any less likely.”

It didn’t matter to her whether this changed the future or not. It felt like she’d be lying if she didn’t tell him the whole truth. Even if, she thought bitterly, the full story could possibly sound like a threat.

The next day she went on her first mission in two months with Miranda and Count Krory. The pair had been concerned about her health having heard the rumors that escaped the science section despite Reever’s best attempts to quash them. She simply smiled and told them the truth: “The Innocence is still inside me, but it shouldn’t be a problem.” Not yet, anyway, and if Hevlaska couldn’t get to it, it was unlikely the Noah, save maybe Tyki, could either.

The mission turned out to be a dud. Other than mass quantities of Akuma, which they destroyed quickly and efficiently, there was no sign of Innocence. And no sign of Allen during the fight.

Though as they walked back to the train station, a shock of white drew her eye.

Lenalee glanced at her companions, who were discussing whether the trio ought to grab dinner before they reached the station or purchase something on the train, then back at the window she’d seen the white hair, now hidden behind a curtain. It was a small inn with a restaurant below. _Perfect._

“Why not here?” she suggested, gesturing to the little bistro and the delicious smells emanating from within. All she needed to do was get them all seated, order some food, then slip away to visit the privy. Once out of their sight, she’d go to the room she thought she’d seen Allen in and plead her case. If he proved willing, she could feign illness and have them stay the night, and she’d sneak away to join Allen in his room. It couldn’t be simpler.

But simple plans are always the fastest to go awry.

Krory and Miranda readily agreed, and once orders were placed, Lenalee made her excuse. The place was crowded, meaning her friends wouldn’t notice even if they were watching her that she changed direction for the stairs once out of their line of sight. It also meant that she could take her time and claim a long line to the bathroom so long as they didn’t go check. Upstairs, she knocked at the door she was fairly confident went to the room she’d spotted Allen in and received no response.

There was always the possibility that he’d spotted them from the window and escaped before she could reach him. Lenalee pushed the thought away and tried the handle.

The door swung open and she heard a familiar voice curse. “You didn’t lock the door?!”

“Kanda?” Her eyes drifted from the tall exorcist to the person he’d been shouting at. “Johnny?”

The scientist smiled sheepishly, glasses askew from Kanda roughly grabbing him by the front of his shirt. He lifted a hand in greeting. “Hi Lenalee.”

She should have realized their missing companions would be here. Her vision blurred with unshed tears, but she blinked them back. “Where’s Allen?”

Kanda glowered at her with open hostility, while Johnny fidgeted at the question. Hoping to alleviate their fears just a little, she added, “I’m not here to take him back. I just want to talk to him and know he’s okay.” Her throat felt far too dry as she added, “He _is_ okay, isn’t he?”

The door slammed shut behind her, making her jump and spin to face the young man in question. He looked a little worse for wear. Thinner than she remembered, his hair longer, but his silver eyes where those she’d seen countless times in her dreams. Despite the harsh treatment of the door, his mouth was set in a charming smile.

“How did you know where to find us?” he asked.

An explanation, if slightly edited for Kanda and Johnny’s ears, was in order. Once they were gone, she would tell him everything. “We were here on a mission, and I saw you in the window. I need to speak with you.” She glanced at the other two meaningfully and added, “In private.”

Johnny’s eyes widened behind his glasses, while Kanda’s narrowed. Allen’s smile stayed fixed. “About what?”

Lenalee willed her cheeks not to turn red in front of the others. She wasn’t sure how successful she was as she told him, “It’s complicated.”

His expression turned somber as he nodded. “Where are Miranda and Krory?”

“In the restaurant. I can’t stay long, or they’ll get suspicious and might come looking for me.”

Another nod. “Right.” He turned to Kanda and Johnny. “Could you…?”

The samurai let out an irritated growl but stalked past them, threw open the door, and stepped out. Johnny seemed a little more reluctant, but after a reassuring smile from the white-haired exorcist, followed suit. Allen shut the door and offered Lenalee a seat at the room’s small table. She sank into it gratefully.

“You might want to sit down for this,” she said when he didn’t take the chair across form her.

The charming mask was back. “I’ll be all right. What did you want to talk about?”

Lenalee took a steadying breath. This was going to sound crazy. She just hoped Allen would be as understanding as the version of him she saw in her first dream. “A few months ago, we went on a mission to retrieve Innocence, which due to circumstances ended up in my body.” She resisted the urge to touch her stomach. This wasn’t the time to give him the wrong idea. “Since then, I’ve had… dreams of the future, and it’s occasionally spoken to me.”

Much like the future version from her dream, this Allen took this first part in stride. It wasn’t the first time an Innocence had done something unexpected, and his acceptance of the facts helped her with the part she wasn’t sure he’d take well.

“It’s shown me some horrifying visions of the future and told me the only way to prevent them is to… well…” She couldn’t stop the blush that tinged her cheeks, and she could no longer meet his gaze. “It wants me to sleep with you and bear your child. If I don’t, the Earl wins and the world ends.”

Allen looked as if he wished he’d listened to her about sitting. His eyes went wide, and he fell into the chair. “How does _that_ work?”

That line sounded familiar to Lenalee. She must have asked the same thing dozens of times of the Innocence, if she actually remembered it. “I honestly don’t know. It can’t explain because anything with you is fuzzy until after the final battle.” Another fact she’d heard often enough to piece together from the little she recalled.

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out no matter how much he worked his jaw. Lenalee reached a hand to take his, but he flinched away. “You don’t have to decide today,” she said, withdrawing her hand. “We have time.”

“It doesn’t sound like either of us have much of a choice.”

A small sigh. “No, not really.” She did her best to mimic his earlier reassuring smile. “On the bright side, I think we’ll be okay after this is all over. Komui won’t kill you. Promise.”

Allen stood and stepped closer to tilt her chin up. His gaze was intense as he searched her features, and she realized, with a jolt of fear, that his eyes had turned golden. “And what of me? Has that Innocence told you anything?”

The gold vanished in a blink, and Allen took three hurried steps backward. He gripped his head in his hands, and she heard him mutter, “Stop it, Nea. You’ll scare her.”

“Was that the Fourteenth?!” Her chair fell backward with a clatter as she stood.

Allen winced. “Yes, but he hates that name. He prefers—”

Lenalee slammed her hands on the table. “I don’t care what he prefers to be called! Allen, if he’s controlling you—”

“We’ve, er, worked things out. For the most part. It’s complicated.” Allen sighed. He looked so _tired_ now. “But I guess the question is out there now. Has the Innocence said anything about him, about Nea?”

“I don’t think so. A lot of it’s fuzzy since I’m not the accommodator, but it’s said that it can’t see the Noah. It can only see our future after the battle because you don’t have the Four— _Nea_ in you anymore, but I don’t think it’s said anything about what happens to him.” She wasn’t sure it would be interested in answering that question, either.

A knock at the door. “If you two don’t hurry up,” came Kanda’s gruff voice, “they’ll start looking for her.”

“I guess that’s my cue.” If she were being honest, she hadn’t expected to get anywhere today, so she wasn’t concerned. The Innocence had told her they had time, so Allen could take his.

As she reached for the doorknob, Allen grabbed her hand. “Wait!” When she turned back, he blushed. “Let me think about it. I… I like you, but… I’m not sure if I think of you like _that_. So… could you wait for me?”

A giggle bubbled up, and Lenalee did her best to stifle it. “I know exactly what you mean. The Innocence kind of sprang this on us at the last minute, didn’t it?”

Allen nodded and shifted uncomfortably. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her delicately on the lips. His face was even redder when he retreated. “I’ll let you know when I decide.”

As she left, Lenalee gave both Kanda and Johnny a firm hug and made them promise to take care of themselves and Allen.

She hadn’t been gone long enough for her companions to suspect a thing, but they fretted over her when she hardly said a word over their meal. “Sorry,” she said, doing her best to soothe them, “I’m just a little tired. We should probably head back once we’re done eating.”

“Yes,” Miranda agreed. “That would probably be for the best.”


	5. Crossed Wires

Lenalee stared around in horror. Broken bodies littered the floor of the Black Order. Blood pooled at her feet. The Earl held Allen by the throat as his fingers, lengthening into inhuman tendrils, pierced the exorcist’s flesh. One last gasp for breath, and his body vanished, scattering into tiny motes of light.

The Millennium Earl’s face broke into a manic grin as his focus shifted to Lenalee. He lifted his bloody sword and swung down as a scream tore from her throat.

* * *

For a moment, Lenalee had no idea where she was. Dream, reality, it didn’t matter. Tears streamed down her face as she shook, the covers twisted in her clammy hands.

Someone sat up next to her, and she almost screamed again. “You’re all right. It was just a bad dream.”

Allen. It was Allen. Lenalee flung herself into his arms, knocking them both to the bed. He ran his fingers along her spine as she wept into his chest. Kiss after kiss pressed to the top of her head, and he whispered soothing words against her hair. When at last she looked up into his face, he kissed away her tears, too.

“Make me forget,” she pleaded. At this point, Lenalee didn’t care if this dream was a possible vision of the future she was derailing for her own selfish need. She just wanted something to replace the pieces of her world vanishing before her eyes. “Please.”

Open concern flickered across his features. He pushed her away as gently as he could and sat up. “We’re not doing this while you’re upset,” he told her, cupping her cheek and running his thumb under her eye to wipe away renewed tears. “You’ll regret it in the morning.”

“I don’t care,” she whispered. “I just want you.”

Lenalee straddled him and rocked against his crotch, hoping to spark his lust. His hands found and stilled her hips. She could feel his cock stirring to life from that small movement alone.

His face was flushed as he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “It’s not fair when you do things like that.”

“Please, Allen.” It came out needier than she intended.

Her husband gave a soft smile. “We both know this isn’t a good idea.”

Lenalee let her head fall against his shoulder. “I know, but…”

“Was your dream that scary?”

She nodded against him. “The Earl came and killed everyone. And you.”

“The Millennium Earl’s gone. He’ll never hurt anyone again." His arms wrapped around her. "Promise.”

Again, his hand traced her spine. Allen hummed a song, and the vibration near her ear made her muscles relax. A small part of her wanted to laugh. Moments ago, she was so ready to ride him into oblivion if he let her, and now, her limbs felt so heavy, she wasn’t sure she could lay down without him helping her back to the pillow.

Then, crying rang out from another room. Lenalee lifted her head tiredly, knowing somehow that was their baby. “I’ll go get Mana for you,” Allen told her. “He’s probably hungry again.”

“Okay.” So they’d named their son after Allen’s late father. She wondered if this was their first child, the one the Innocence was so determined to have born, or if this was the child she’d been carrying in the last few dreams. Lenalee never found out as the dream faded away.

* * *

Lenalee didn’t hear from or about Allen Walker for a long time. It wasn’t from a lack of trying on the Order’s part. As far as anyone knew, he could be dead. Lenalee knew better, though. Every night, the Innocence reassured her he was alive and well and would remind her rather petulantly that she still needed to get into his pants. After that last nightmare the night after speaking with Allen, it hadn’t brought up the consequences if she failed again—at least, not with a vision—but that didn’t mean it didn’t bother her regularly now.

“I know, I know,” Lenalee said on this latest occasion, cradling little Mana against her chest as he suckled. His silver eyes were closed, and there was the smallest hint of dark fuzz on his tiny head. Their older child, this time a little girl of three named Anita, was playing with Timcanpy, stretching its face into silly shapes. The golem took it well enough, grinning and making little ‘grawring’ noises that elicited shrieks of delight from the girl.

“You haven’t been looking at all,” the Innocence wearing Allen’s face grumbled, arms crossed.

The infant made a discontented noise. As she comforted him with the practiced hand of her future self, she said, “I trust Allen will find me when he’s ready. To be fair to him—to both of us, really—you did spring this on us without any warning.”

“To be _fair_ ,” it replied, voice mocking, “ _you_ didn’t find _me_ until after he ran off.”

Little Mana settled, and the Innocence gave an unhappy harrumph. “You do realize all this goes up in smoke if he decides not to fuck you or pull out at the last second.”

Scandalized, Lenalee said, “Watch what you say around the children!”

“Oh please, they’re a dream. They don’t even know we’re talking right now.”

Lenalee’s lips pressed into a thin line. “They better not.”

“You’re quite the mama bear, aren’t you?”

“Dream or not, they’re still my kids.” _Mine and Allen’s._ No matter how many times she dreamed this future, it still didn’t feel real. She wondered if it ever would, even when this was reality.

* * *

It was just after Christmas that Allen made contact. That day, she caught a familiar glint of gold from the corner of her eye while out on a mission with Marie and Chaoji. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her from their long journey and that she’d glimpsed a gold-colored decoration, but when she turned her head, no gold ornaments hung on the tree in the square.

The Finder followed her gaze. “Is something the matter, Miss Lee?”

“No, nothing. Just admiring the scenery.” She gave a reassuring smile. “Will we be going straight to the castle tonight? Or…”

“Ah, no. It’s dangerous to travel at night with the snowstorm the Innocence causes,” the Finder explained. “We’ll spend the night at an inn on that side of town and make our way there at first light.”

The inn was a small one, only a handful of rooms with a small tavern below. As was usually the case, Lenalee had a room to herself down the hall from the men of the group. Not that anyone at the Order thought they’d try something. Partially from fear of the wrath of Komui, but also because they were like family. Much as Lenalee had seen Allen until not-so-recent events, she saw them as extra brothers, and they her as a sister. Still, Komui had to satisfy his concern for her safety somehow, and so she had a separate room.

It turned out, Komui’s overprotectiveness of her chastity would also be its downfall.

Lenalee had bid the others goodnight and was just about to shrug off her uniform when she heard a _tap-tap-tapping_ at her window. When she pulled back the curtain, she found Timcanpy fluttering in the cold and determined not to get buffeted by the Innocence-induced winds. She threw open the window and the golem shot inside.

“What are you doing here?” she asked it as if she didn’t already know.

Timcanpy butted its face against her cheek affectionately before shooting back out the window. Confused, Lenalee stuck her head out after him. The wind tore at her hair and clothes and sleet pounded her face as she searched the night for the tiny golden creature.

Beneath the lamppost across the street from their inn stood Allen, Timcanpy flapping around his head to draw her attention. He lifted a hand in greeting, and Lenalee did the same, not even daring to breathe for fear that the others might notice something amiss. She glanced behind her into the still room, then swung her legs out.

Using her Innocence, it was no trouble to leap from her window to the streetlamp. Lenalee shivered and took Allen’s hand, fully intending to take him back up to her room. “It’s a bit cold to talk out here.”

“It is,” he agreed, but made no move to follow. He looked nervous, and Lenalee couldn’t blame him, considering what was being asked of them both.

“We should go inside,” she prompted.

Allen hesitated, then let her lead the way.

With the combined use of their Innocence, it wasn’t hard to get back through the open window. Far more difficult was forcing it closed once more against the wind and sleet that seemed to actively be fighting them. Lenalee giggled, reminded of the time they held the door shut once against a very irritated Howard Link what felt like ages ago. Allen, too, smiled, perhaps at the same memory.

Once the cold was shut out, Lenalee relit the candle on her nightstand and sat on the bed. She patted the spot next to her, and once again, Allen looked unsure before taking her up on the offer. He held out a hand for Tim, then set the little creature on the top of his head.

“So,” he started, then stopped, obviously not sure how to continue. His face flushed and he stared around the room, at the door, the window, anywhere to avoid looking her in the face.

Lenalee found herself smiling. Seeing Allen flustered was something she didn’t often get to experience. “So?”

He took a deep breath. “I’ve thought about it. And…” he trailed off and swallowed back nerves. “…I want to know what you think before I give my answer.”

She made a thoughtful noise, though she already knew her response. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared. Carrying a child for nine months and giving birth with everything the way it is right now is daunting, but…” How could she explain it? She’d had so many dreams for so long, some bad but mostly good, and even though she couldn’t remember much of any of them, they had left an impression. “We’ll be okay. When all this is over, I know we’ll be okay.”

Her hand found the back of Allen’s, and she gave it a squeeze. His turned it in her grip and squeezed back before pulling away.

Still, that brief contact seemed to give Allen the courage to face her directly. “Then… before we…” he trailed off, took a deep breath, and plowed ahead. “Before we sleep together, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“I know we don’t have the time to do it the right way right now but… after the war’s over, would you… I mean… What I want to ask is—”

She silenced him with a kiss. “Yes,” she breathed against his lips before capturing them again in a deeper kiss. The movement dislodged Timcanpy, who fluttered to the windowsill and was soon forgotten.

Allen was far more tentative, but who could blame him? Unlike Lenalee, he hadn’t had a phantom lover in his dreams for almost a year. His movements were hesitant but deliberate as his hands explored her body, starting with a light brush of his fingers against her cheek and slowly moving to tangle one hand in her hair and let the other drift slowly down her shoulder and arm.

When they broke apart for air, Lenalee quietly pleaded into the space between them, “Touch me.” She guided his hand to her breast.

Their lips met again and moved together. Shyly, Allen ran his tongue along her lower lip, and she let it slip into her mouth. His movements were growing hungrier, more heated, but still they kept that same tenderness that he started with. Lenalee led their dance, unbuttoning and shrugging off her uniform before helping Allen with his coat and shirt.

Chests now bare, their fingers explored the newly exposed flesh. Allen shivered under Lenalee’s touch, unused to this intimacy. He gasped when she pulled herself into his lap, and he blushed furiously as his hands found her hips. She could feel his excitement growing beneath her, straining against its confines, and she kissed him on the cheek.

“Lay down,” she whispered in his ear before leaving his lap so he could comply.

Allen turned an even deeper shade of crimson as he kicked off his shoes and did as he was told. Lenalee undid his belt, but as she was about to free him from his pants, he stopped her hand.

“L-let me.” He shifted and shimmied his pants and boxers down to his knees. If he could go any redder, he did when his cock sprang free of the fabric and stood at attention.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take them all the way off?” asked Lenalee as she undid the zipper on the side of her skirt and let it fall to the floor. Her shorts and panties dropped next, and she joined him on the small bed once more.

His eyes roamed her body both appreciatively and apprehensively. At her question, they flicked back to her face as he said, “I’d rather have them in case… an Akuma attacks.”

It was a weak excuse to hide his embarrassment at fully disrobing, but a reasonable one. Lenalee didn’t push the issue as she crawled over his body, and his cock gave a twitch against her as she kissed him. Her tongue found his, and her arms wrapped around his neck as he balanced precariously on one arm to let the other roam her back and shoulders. He thrust against her, sliding his shaft between her folds without entering and rubbing against the wet heat.

“Are you ready?” she asked breathlessly, rolling her hips.

He bit back a moan. “Are you?”

Lenalee gave him a coquettish smile and repositioned herself in his lap. Slowly, deliberately, she sank down. The familiar stretch and fullness drew a small appreciative sigh from her lips. Her eyes slid closed, and she shifted a bit to get more comfortable.

Allen’s eyes met hers when she reopened them. They flicked from her face to her hand that kneaded her breast, fingers tracing her nipple, then to her other hand, which roamed lower to touch her clit. His hand left the blanket he’d had in a nervous grip to trace up her thigh. He licked his suddenly dry lips. “You’re beautiful.”

She giggled. “I think you’re supposed to say that _before_ I ride you,” she teased.

“It’s still true.”

His open honesty made her blush at last. She looked away, took a breath, then raised herself a bit before sinking back down. The movements started slow and shallow, letting them both get used to the new sensations before she allowed herself to move with abandon.

At first, Allen did his best to stay still and not grab hold of her as he so desperately wanted to. Lenalee had other ideas, however, and soon guided his hands to her hips, rubbing her thumbs along the backs of his hands encouragingly as she kept her pace. A small moan escaped her as he got the message. His grip tightened, and he thrust up to meet her. “Ah! Yes!” she whined. “Keep doing that. Please.”

She could tell he was getting close. Allen, even as a freshly converted virgin, had all the same tells as his future self. His closed eyelids scrunched just a bit, and he had his bottom lip firmly between his teeth—not to stop himself from making sound but to try and deny himself release a little longer for Lenalee’s pleasure. She rode him harder and touched herself with renewed vigor. It was silly and unlikely, this technically being both their first times, but she wanted so badly for them to be able to come together, to experience that same high simultaneously.

Somehow, she succeeded. The dam broke, and Lenalee cried out his name. Allen threw his head back against the pillow, his mouth falling open in a wordless moan, thrusting just a little longer—

The door banged open. On instinct, Lenalee leapt off Allen and activated her Dark Boots to face the intruder, only to find Chaoji, eyes wide as he took in the scene before him. Lenalee, naked but for her crystal boots. Allen, face and necked flushed red with more than just embarrassment as he hurriedly stuffed himself back into his pants, something milky white splashed across his abs reflecting the dim light of the candle in Chaoji’s hand.

The former sailor stammered, “I-I thought I heard…” But he trailed off and didn’t finish.

Lenalee felt Allen’s breath, hot against her ear even as his words chilled her to her very core, “Next time you try to seduce Allen, make sure your friends know their cue to capture us.” She spun to face him, but Nea had already shrugged on their unbuttoned coat and with a blast of cold air, leapt out the window.

She could have followed him easily enough. Should have. Lenalee wanted to defend herself, but the accusation that she was just using Allen to capture the Fourteenth left her rooted to the spot. Her legs gave out, her Innocence deactivated, and she fell to her knees, arms limp at her sides as she stared after him.

Chaoji didn’t say a word as he collected her scattered clothing from the floor and handed them to her, eyes averted the whole time. When she didn’t move to take them, he instead set her uniform’s jacket around her shoulders and said quietly, “I don’t know if that was Walker or the Fourteenth or whoever, but… it’s not your fault.”

Confused, she turned her head toward him, and emboldened by the acknowledgement of his presence, he wiped her eyes with his sleeve. When had she started crying? She didn’t know, but the realization that she was made her break into renewed sobs.

The way he looked at her, expression surprisingly soft and without accusation, made her wonder if Chaoji saw Anita in her. Anita, when Cross had left her behind. “I don’t know what he said or did, but it’s not your fault he tricked you.”

She fought the urge to laugh as she pulled her jacket more tightly around her. Nea had accused her of seducing _Allen_ , and here Chaoji was convinced it was the other way around. She wasn’t sure which was worse, that Nea, and maybe Allen as well, thought her a harlot or that Chaoji saw someone to be pitied. She sniffled, scrubbed at her eyes. “Please don’t tell Komui.”

He nodded, and again, he seemed to be seeing someone else in her. “I won’t tell anyone unless you want me to.” He faltered, then added awkwardly, “But… at least he didn’t… um… you know, so that’s one less thing for you to worry about.”

Lenalee knew he meant that as a comfort, but it left her feeling empty instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I had about six variations on the ending, and this was the one I ended up picking. Somehow, Chaoji turned out to not be a total ass even though that's what I had in mind with every other version? I'm not sure how that happened... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Anywho, this'll be the last chapter for a bit because I'm still working on the last few chapters, so tell me what you think.


	6. A Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluffy sex. Yay fluffy sex.

Much to Lenalee’s surprise and gratitude, Chaoji kept his promise. All seemed forgotten by the next morning, though he did stay just a little closer to her throughout the rest of their mission. He didn’t breathe a word of her midnight tryst with Allen to their companions, nor to anyone else when they returned to Headquarters. Even when Komui had looked between them in confusion at their drawn faces as they reported in.

After that night, her dreams changed. Allen was conspicuously absent as she helped their children cut cookie dough into stars or read them bedtime stories. No nightmares, no sex. Just pleasant dreams of laughter and smiles and children playing. Perhaps she should have been glad not to face Allen in her sleep, but instead, it only left her numb.

Everyone could tell something was wrong, but no one said anything. Komui hovered anxiously, Jerry conscripted her to help in the kitchen more often than usual in the hopes that she would talk to him, but still, no one said anything. Even Chaoji, who knew the cause even if he had misread the situation entirely, never brought it up again.

She was alone. No one to talk to, and not even the small comfort of Allen’s child growing inside her, of knowing the beautiful things she saw each night could and would someday come to pass.

It was a month later that Allen finally reappeared in her dreams. The first time, she’d found herself in the middle of sex much like the first dream the Innocence had given her, and even though it felt good, she found she couldn’t stop crying. Allen had been confused but had done his best to kiss away her tears and whisper reassurances in her ear as he held her trembling form. He vanished again, but when a few nights later he returned without explanation, this time helping her decorate their sitting room for Christmas with their children, Lenalee had had to excuse herself.

After about the fourth such reaction, the Innocence threw its hands up in frustration. “You can’t keep moping forever!”

They were words she needed to hear, but that didn’t mean she wanted to listen. Lenalee turned her back to the being wearing Allen’s face and pulled the bedclothes more tightly around herself. “Watch me.”

“I have, and it sucks. So what’s-his-face interrupted you. Big whoop. That doesn’t mean you can’t go find Allen again and fuck his brains out.”

“He thinks I lied to him.”

An aggravated sigh. “You don’t _know_ what he thinks. Just what that damned Noah said.”

When she didn’t answer, wouldn’t even roll over to look at it, the Innocence heaved another sigh. It sat on the bed beside her, ran its fingers through its faintly glowing hair, and said, “I wouldn’t keep showing you all this if it weren’t still possible. I’m a lot of things, but ultimate-dick-who-shows-impossible-futures is not one of them. You have time to go find him.”

“But what if he hates me now?”

The Innocence gestured to the dream around them. “I’m no expert, but from what I’ve seen through you, I don’t think he’s capable of hating _anyone_. He’s even on good terms with that former Noah that literally tried to kill him multiple times.”

At last, Lenalee faced the Innocence. “Then how do I find him? _Where_ do I find him?”

But it just shrugged in response. “Can’t say for sure, but next mission, maybe? It’s less likely than last time, but you _could_ get pregnant.” Green eyes found hers, and a coy grin replaced its concern. “Now have you had enough wallowing? Because no offense, you look like you could use a good fuck.”

Lenalee sighed. “I’m starting to question whether you’re really an Innocence or just some base desire incarnate.” He was right though. She hadn’t even had the will to masturbate since the disaster that was her and Allen. Some heavy petting sounded good right about then.

The glow faded, the green returned to silver, and Allen’s lips found hers. Their tongues met, and without separating, Allen crept overtop of her. Her hands slid from around his neck and down his chest, undoing buttons as she went. He hummed his approval when his pajama shirt fell open and her fingers traced the rough scars that had faded since their time as exorcists. In return, his hand found the hem of her nightgown and pulled it up to her collarbone, revealing pale flesh mottled with stretchmarks and scars of her own beneath.

His eyes roamed her body, drinking all of her in. There was no shyness as there had been his first time. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered before pressing a kiss to her belly and slowly making his way up.

Lenalee squirmed as his lips traveled up to one breast to suck and tease her nipple with his tongue. His hand, the metal one, pinched the other until it perked and hardened to match its twin. His knee pressed against her groin, and she shamelessly rubbed herself against his leg, a small needy whine escaping her. Already she was feeling the familiar wetness soaking into her panties. It really had been too long.

His hand and mouth left her breasts, and Lenalee watched him with half-lidded eyes as he removed his pants and she disrobed. Her fingers brushed along his semi-hard shaft when he rejoined her before taking it in her hand and stroking it. Allen arched into her touch. “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, giving a breathy chuckle.

“I’ve missed you,” was all she could say. Tears stung her eyes, and though she did her best to hide it, Allen noticed. He always did.

He didn’t comment right away. He just took her hand gently in his and guided it to rest over his heart. His pulse raced under her fingertips as he pulled her against him in a hug, maneuvering so her chin rested on his shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

“Even though I screwed up?”

Allen pulled away and cupped her cheek. “You’re talking to the man who literally missed our first time,” he told her with a self-deprecating smile, “and despite that, you kept me around.”

She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss. He returned it eagerly, and they toppled to the bed, a tangle of limbs and lips. Lenalee pressed herself against him and felt his cock slip between her legs along her folds. She rocked against him even as her lips left his to press against his pulse point on his neck. She sucked a small bruise there, and a small part of her wished she had done the same a month ago and that he had marked her some way in return.

When he plunged inside of her, again and again and again, she clung to him, gasping and moaning and meeting each of his thrusts. She wanted more of him. All of him. They could do this hundreds, no thousands of times and somehow, she knew it would never be enough. Even as she cried out his name, as he spiraled down after her, she knew she couldn’t give him up. Would never be able to.

It didn’t matter anymore if the world hung in the balance or not. She just knew that she had to find him in the present and tell him the very words she whispered to him now: “I love you.”


	7. Honesty and Trust

Due to circumstances, Lenalee was alone on this mission. Not even a Finder joined her as she investigated rumors of a certain individual lurking about the small coastal town. The reason was obvious: General Cross Marian wouldn’t show himself to just anybody, and Central had beaten Komui down into accepting that the appealingly young but very legal Lenalee was their best bet at capturing the man they had all presumed dead if the rumors proved true. They would have sent Miranda with her, but the poor woman was bedridden and had been taken off active duty until she recovered, and Claud Nine was too busy with her own duties as general to chase a ghost.

This wasn’t the first time someone had reported seeing the late general after all, and Lenalee expected the search to be about as fruitful as all the others. So instead, she prioritized tracking down Allen. The Innocence had said she might find him, and so far, its foresight hadn’t led her astray before. Even if she didn’t succeed in sleeping with him this time around, she wanted to clear up the misunderstanding from a month ago and confess her feelings.

After a full day’s search, however, she had nothing to show for her efforts. No word of Cross, no sign of Allen. “I’m afraid no one could tell me anything,” she reported into the phone.

“So another wild goose chase,” Komui sighed. “We’ve arranged for you to spend the night there. See if you can find anything in the morning, and if nothing turns up, return on the afternoon train.”

“All right.”

She was about to hang up, but Komui stopped her with, “Stay safe out there.”

A small smile touched her lips. “I will. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

There was still time before sunset, so Lenalee decided to ask around just a little longer. It wouldn’t hurt to catch people on their way home from work, and if Cross really were here, poking around in the bars and taverns would give her the best odds of catch him. _And,_ she reminded herself, thinking of his gambling streak, _the best place to find Allen._ She set off for the nearest pub.

Two bars and five jerks who learned a painful lesson in the meaning of the word ‘No’ later, Lenalee was no closer to finding master nor apprentice. Deciding she’d searched late enough into the night to give in to disappointment, she started for the inn the Black Order had arranged for her to stay at. She’d get some sleep and try again in the morning, perhaps armed with pointers form the Innocence inside her if she could remember any of it.

Or that was the plan anyway.

Lenalee turned the corner for the street that would lead to her hotel when she bumped into one of the very people she had been looking for. Allen’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her, then narrowed and turned golden before Nea spun on his heel and bolted. Underestimating her was his first mistake. Even without the aid of her Innocence, Lenalee was the swiftest in their organization, and she caught his sleeve with no trouble.

His second mistake was being an ass hole.

Nea drew himself up to his—or more accurately, Allen’s—full height and glared at Lenalee. Allen wasn’t much taller than Lenalee, however, and she was so used to Kanda’s sparkling personality that this had little effect. She simply tightened her grip and said, “I need to talk to Allen.”

“What, so you can try to seduce him again?” replied the Noah with a scowl. He yanked his arm out of her grasp. “Go tell your Order to get a little more creative than a cute girl spreading her legs—”

At that, Timanpy bit Nea’s ear hard enough to draw blood. He yelped and clapped a hand over the injury. “The hell was that for?” he snapped at the golem growling back at him. Timcanpy bared its teeth, then landed on Lenalee’s head to comfort her.

“I’m all right.” Lenalee had been expecting insults from Nea. She just hoped that Allen didn’t share his opinion.

Once the little creature was soothed, she squared her shoulders and repeated more sternly, “I need to talk to Allen.”

“No.” He turned to go.

Timcanpy took off and hit Nea hard in the back, bowling him over to sprawl at the feet of none other than Lenalee’s official target. Cross Marian frowned down at the Noah inhabiting his apprentice’s body, then set a heavy booted foot on his back to keep him on the ground. “You ought to be more polite to the fairer sex.”

“Fuck off, Cross. You don’t know what’s going on.”

Cross lit a cigarette. “I have a better idea than you think.”

Death, or near death as it apparently was, hadn’t changed the man. Lenalee could still smell cigarette smoke and booze on Cross from where she stood feet away. He still gave off the same nonchalance and self-assuredness that he always had. Really, the only thing that had changed was the mask that hid half his face, but even that was similar enough to the one he’d left behind when he fled.

Lenalee took a hesitant step forward. “General—”

“Not anymore. Judgment abandoned me.” His eye narrowed. “Or did they neglect to tell you that?” Her eyes widened. “I see,” was all he said before pressing his boot harder into Nea’s back. “Oi, stupid apprentice—”

“He’s not talking to her,” Nea spat.

“You don’t get a say in this, and neither does he. I’ve taught him better than to brush off his lovers.”

Both Lenalee and Allen’s faces went bright red. “H-how—” Allen started, but stopped, silver eyes finding a somehow sheepish-looking Timcanpy. “Tim! You told him?!”

Cross took a long drag on his cigarette. “I didn’t give Timcanpy much choice in the matter. You really should do a better job erasing recordings you don’t want people seeing.”

Mortified, Lenalee hid her face in her hands. “How much did you see?”

“I stopped and deleted it as soon as I realized what it was,” Cross replied mildly, not answering the quesiton. His boot at last left Allen’s back, though he made no move to help his apprentice up. He gestured for Lenalee to follow him before walking away.

Not a word was said as they passed through the dark streets, Allen and Lenalee too humiliated to even attempt conversation. And not just because they were with Cross. If anything, as embarrassing as having him there with the knowledge that he knew they’d had sex was, being alone together would be worse. With Cross, at least, she could choose a more neutral subject than their impropriety.

“What happened, General Cross?”

“I’m not a general anymore, and it’s not important.”

“But—”

Allen’s hand found hers, and she stopped short. He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous for you to know right now.”

“Besides,” Cross flicked his cigarette butt to the pavement and crushed it under his foot, “there are more pressing matters right now.” He snapped his fingers.

Before Lenalee’s very eyes, a small house appeared out of nowhere. Well, not quite “out of nowhere,” she thought as the former general led her inside. It had been there before, but somehow, until he’d snapped his fingers, it was like her gaze just slid over it and she couldn’t recognize its presence or that there might be anything worth seeing until he had.

“Welcome back!” called Johnny as they passed by a little sitting room. The scientist’s eyes widened upon seeing Lenalee, and he scrambled to his feet, knocking bits of machinery to the ground in his hurry.

“She’s not staying long,” said Cross, continuing toward the stairs leading to the second floor. He only stopped when he realized Lenalee wasn’t following him, nor was his apprentice, who still held her hand. “Oi.”

But Lenalee stood rooted to the spot. Kanda and Johnny she’d expected to see, but there were two additions to the motley crew assembled in the sitting room. Lavi sat on the floor, dozens of newspapers scattered around him, his green eye transfixed by the sight of Lenalee. Inspector Link, too, sat by the table, his hand hovering over the CROW talismans he’d been organizing.

Lavi’s eye widened when he noticed Allen’s and Lenalee’s joined hands. He gave a low whistle. “When did that happen?”

Allen quickly let go of her hand. That and the way both he and Lenalee blushed furiously was enough to tell Lavi all he needed to know. The redhead gave a crooked grin. “How long until Komui sends a Komurin after ya?”

Cross rolled his eye. “Brat, hurry it up.”

Allen gave his master a cold look but said nothing as he followed the man up the stairs. Lenalee said to Lavi and Link, “We’ll talk later,” before hurrying after the pair.

Once upstairs and in one of the small bedrooms, Cross signaled for her to close the door. A symbol glowed in the wood, then snuffed itself out. “They won’t be hearing us downstairs,” he informed her, lighting another smoke. “Now then, which of you wants to explain that recording I found?”

His eye went to Allen first, but with a flash of silver to gold, Nea answered, “That girl had some insane story about an Innocence telling her to have Allen knock her up so the world doesn’t go to shit. This idiot bought it hook, line, and sinker, and when the hussy got him where she wanted him, failed to capture us.”

The gold in his eyes vanished in an instant and Allen interjected, “That’s not what happened at all!” But he stopped when Cross held up a hand to silence him.

He sighed and muttered something that sounded like, “Should’ve known,” before turning to Lenalee. “That true?”

She clasped her hands before her to keep them from shaking in irritation. No matter how much Nea might deserve it, slapping him would hurt Allen. “The first part is. About a year ago, an Innocence we were sent to collect embedded itself in me and started giving me visions. It said that if I don’t… if I don’t have Allen’s child, that the Earl will win in the end.”

“And that second part?”

Her face grew hot. “We… were probably too loud, and… I don’t know what Chaoji thought was going on, but he… um…”

Cross choked back laughter with some difficulty. He shook his head and muttered something to himself about “virgins” before adopting a more serious, maybe even fatherly, tone. “How much do you trust those visions of yours?”

Lenalee tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Personally, I don’t trust anything that’s talking without a mouth,” Cross replied. “That includes fortune-telling Innocence. You two, my idiot apprentice especially, put far too much faith in that crap considering the circumstances.”

Allen blanched and stared down at his feet. Cross continued, “Think about it this way: who benefits from this? My guess is the Innocence because it gets an accommodator, right?” Lenalee nodded. “And you two end up with some crappy virgin sex, a baby you’re ill-equipped to handle, and possible imprisonment if they find out _who_ the father is.”

Lenalee bit her lip. He was right, of course. “I… was going to tell them that it was the Innocence that caused it.”

The former general took a drag on his cigarette. “Yeah, they’d be dumb enough to buy that. Especially if the brat looks more like you than him. Still risky without much reward, in my opinion.”

Allen raised his head. “But if we don’t—”

A scoff. “The Innocence could be lying or stretching the truth. When has getting knocked up solved _anyone’s_ problems?”

“The Ballad of Tam Lin?” suggested Allen. Cross raised an eyebrow at his apprentice, so he elaborated, “It’s a fairy story my father told me. A woman is able to save her true love from the Fair Folk because she’s pregnant with his child and the Folk can’t make him hurt her when she rescues him.”

Cross scratched the back of his head. “The Fair Folk, huh?” he mumbled. “That crazy clown filled your head with all kinds of nonsense. You know that’s just a fairy tale, right?”

“I know that! I’m not an idiot.”

He took another drag from his cigarette, held in the smoke, then let it out in a sigh. “You two are old enough to figure this shit out on your own,” he said, heading for the door with Timcanpy fluttering close behind. “If you want to use the Innocence’s prophecy as an excuse to bang, then have at it. Just keep in mind that kids are a pain in the ass and don’t guarantee shit.” His hand rested on the knob, and he gave Allen a meaningful look. “That’s my two cents. Take it or leave it.”

And then they were alone. The door swung shut, the symbol flickered to life and fizzled out once more, leaving the pair disconnected from the sounds of the rest of the house.

Allen sat on the bed and let his head fall into his hands. “I am an idiot, aren’t I.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I used a _fairy story_ to say how this might not come back to bite us.” He grimaced. “Nea thinks I’m an idiot too.”

“He also thinks I’m trying to sleep with you to drag you back to the Order,” Lenalee reminded him as she sat next to him, “so that shows what he knows.”

“I’m sorry he said that. He has trust issues.”

“I don’t blame you for that. Just… You know that wasn’t what I was doing… right?”

“I never thought you were.”

His hand found hers again, and he idly brushed his thumb across the back. They sat in silence, lost in similar thoughts of their current situation. Cross was right. The Innocence really could have been lying just to get an accommodator. But in her foggy memories, it had always seemed sincere. Both about her future together with Allen and about wishing they could take their time to get there.

“What do you want to do?” Allen asked at last.

Lenalee bit her lip. “I… don’t think the Innocence was lying. I don’t really know how any of this follows, but… I don’t know how I know, but I _know_ the future it’s shown me must be real, and I want it to happen. Because I… I’m in love with you.”

The confession hung in the air between them, her steady gaze holding his. He blushed a little, but he didn’t look away. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her softly, gently. “I wanted to ask you before, but I couldn’t get it out,” he told her quietly. “When all this is over, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” Her arms slipped around him.

Lips met and parted again and again, steadily growing hungrier with each meeting. His hand trailed down her front, carefully undoing each button of her uniform before letting the fabric fall open. Lenalee shrugged this off, her mouth never leaving Allen’s. His fingers traced scars along her shoulders and chest, making their way to her breasts past her corset. Lenalee gasped into the kiss as he lightly squeezed.

Lenalee fell backward, pulling Allen down with her so that he was pressed against her. “Allen,” she whispered, spreading her legs and guiding his hand down.

He blushed but complied, rubbing her clit through the fabric of her shorts. Lenalee’s eyes slid closed, and she moaned at the sensation. He must have watched what she’d done last time. He pressed a kiss to her collarbone, and she gasped as she felt him suck and nibble a small bruise there.

“S-sorry,” he stammered, retreating, but Lenalee pulled him back down.

“I like it.” She tilted her head, giving him better access to her neck. She blushed, and her eyes flicked away. “I… Could you do that more?”

Allen obliged, sucking another hickey on her shoulder. Part of her was disappointed he didn’t mark her more visibly, but she understood why. If she could hide it, no one would know about them for a while yet. That didn’t mean she couldn’t wish for more.

His fingers made a particularly rough tweak to her clit that sent a shiver through her whole body. Her nails dug into his shirt on his back as she rocked against his fingers. She was getting close. _No, not yet_. She didn’t want to come just yet.

She pressed her hands into his chest, and he backed off in an instant. Lenalee found herself dizzy as she sat up to rid herself of her clothing. She spread her legs again, and she giggled at Allen’s expression, one torn between admiration and pure embarrassment. She must have been a sight to behold, her hair tousled from her head rolling side-to-side from his ministrations below and her entrance dripping wet from his touch.

“Are you sure?” he asked, though that didn’t stop him from disrobing.

Lenalee pulled him close. “I’m more sure about this than anything I’ve ever done.”

Allen kissed her and lined himself up. With a single thrust that made her gasp, he was fully sheathed. He groaned as he rocked into her, and Lenalee’s nails scrambled for purchase. The stretch was wonderful, the feeling of him within her sending her mind reeling.

His lips were on her jaw, throat, collarbone as he pressed kiss after kiss to her flesh. His breath, hot against her skin, sent shivers down her spine. She wrapped her legs around his back, and that change of angle sent wave after wave of pleasure jolting through her with each movement. She reached her tipping point and cried out his name.

“I’m—” But Allen wasn’t able to get the warning out before he gasped and jerked into her.

His erratic pace slowed, and thoroughly spent, Allen collapsed onto his side next to her and drew her close. They stayed like that for a long time, Lenalee held tight in Allen’s arms, catching their breath. Eventually, he pulled away, smiling at her as he always did. He also looked thoroughly self-conscious, though he hid it well as he kissed her tenderly.

“I promise,” he whispered, “when all this is over, I’ll come find you, so wait for me.”

Lenalee returned his smile. “I will.” She hugged him tightly. “I promise.”

The pair cleaned up and dressed, then headed downstairs where the others were waiting. If they knew what had just gone on above their heads, the group kept it to themselves. Well, mostly to themselves. Lavi had a big grin on his face as he teased them, though much of it was directed at Allen specifically.

“Soooo what were ya doing up there for so long?” he asked, poking Allen’s cheek. “Getting _reacquainted_?”

It was Nea who answered, smacking Lavi’s hand away and bristling at the attention. “They just wouldn’t shut up,” he groused. “Komui this, Timothy that. Just how many people _are_ there at that stupid Black Order of yours?”

The redhead had the gall to look disappointed at this response. “Aw, really? They were just catching up that whole time? _Boooo-ring._ ”

Kanda glared at Lavi, then at Nea. “Tch, why are you here, Noah?”

Nea plopped down in an overstuffed armchair. “Allen had enough time out today, so it’s my turn. Besides,” he added with a smug grin, “it’s about time I honored you all with my presence, don’t you think? Can’t let you forget who’s really in charge here.”

“Screw you.”

“Lovely as that sounds, I’m afraid I must decline,” the Noah practically purred.

Though he was beginning to get on her nerves already, Lenalee was at least a little thankful for Nea playing distraction. She wasn’t sure she could handle Lavi’s teasing just then, even if she had missed him and his lighthearted ribbing. She was far too conscious of the lingering sensation of sex to keep a straight face for the very perceptive junior Bookman if he kept at it.

Still, she wanted to catch up with them and hung around a little longer. She took Allen’s word that it was too dangerous to know what they were up to and stuck instead to neutral topics: Where they’d been, how they were doing. Were they eating okay? And most importantly, “How are you both alive?”

“Cross faked his death to get away from you lot,” Nea replied with a dismissive wave, “and that creep,” meaning Link, “did the same to follow me around on orders from his boss.”

“What about you?” Lavi asked. “Why’d you track us down? Seemed to me like Central lost interest in Allen lately.”

“I was sent to investigate rumors of General Cross Marian’s presence.” Even if she’d been more concerned with finding Allen than looking for him.

“And you found me,” replied the man in question. “Now what are you going to do about it?”

So caught up in her own dilemma, Lenalee hadn’t thought about it. “I… don’t know,” she admitted. “If I tried to drag you back, I don’t think I’d be able to, and I suspect you must have a reason for staying away.”

Cross put out his cigarette. “You’d be right on both counts. So I suggest we just pretend we didn’t run into each other.”

Lenalee nodded, then stood. “I should probably head out. I was expected at my hotel an hour ago to report in.”

Gold changed back to silver. “I’ll walk you back,” offered Allen. “Ah, unless you’d rather…”

She smiled and took his hand. “I’d like that.”

* * *

Once the two were gone, Lavi asked pointblank of Cross, “Okay, seriously, did those two bump uglies or what?”

Johnny’s mouth fell open in shock, and Kanda’s eyes widened. Link, meanwhile, just said, “That’s none of your business.”

Lavi stuck his tongue out at the CROW. “It _could_ be important to my records later if he knocked her up.”

Cross looked on in amusement. “Oh? How so?”

“Well, if Nea keeps to the plan and replaces the Millennium Earl, doesn’t that make her his Eve or something ‘cause of Allen?”

That wasn’t the leap in logic Cross had expected to excuse the nosy apprentice Bookman, nor was this a possibility he'd considered. He swirled the wine in his glass thoughtfully. Maybe that Innocence wasn’t quite so full of shit after all.


	8. Stay With Me

By the time they reached the hotel, Lenalee had made a decision. Allen had too, and when they reached the door, they both spoke at the same time:

“Could you—?”

“Would you like—?”

They both stopped, then laughed. Allen, the first to recover, said, “You first.”

Lenalee blushed and focused on the top button of his shirt. After the number of times she’d done it with him, she’d have thought asking would be easier. “Could you stay a little longer? I want to… um…”

That was all she needed to say. Allen gave her a peck on the cheek. “I’ll stay as long as you want,” he promised. His smile, warm and inviting, made her pulse quicken. “Just contact the Order first so they don’t worry.”

Right, she had to report in. “Okay.”

One phone call that should have been quick but wasn’t later ( _“Lenalee! We were so worried! Eh? A lead on Cross, but it turned out to be case of mistaken identity? You don’t have to work so late! Certainly not for Cross! Stay safe. I wuv you,”_ and so on), and they were headed upstairs.

No sooner did the door click shut and locked did their lips meet. Lenalee’s uniform dropped to the floor first, though Allen’s coat and shirt followed suit not long after. They stumbled to the bed, hands still all over each other, and fell to the mattress. They broke for air just long enough to see what they were doing in stripping Allen of his pants and Lenalee of her shorts and skirt, and then his mouth was on her again, kissing along her jaw and down the column of her neck.

Lenalee guided his hand to her breast, and his lips found their way to the other. She writhed beneath him as he teased her nipples, her hands seeking purchase on his back and shoulders. His cock, semi-hard but only growing more so as it rubbed against her clit. The knot of pleasure was returning, pulling her slowly apart at the seams from the inside with each stroke.

She let out a needy whine, and Allen’s lips traveled up to meet hers again. His hands glided down her sides to rest on her hips. His thumb traced circles on her skin as he pressed the tip of his member against her.

“Can I?” he asked breathlessly.

Lenalee nodded and pulled him back down to capture him with another kiss. She bucked against him as he plunged in, desperate for more sooner. The wet sounds of sex filled the room as Allen thrust into her again and again, drowned out only by their panting and moans. His hands on her hips tightened, pulling her into him, making her cry out over and over, urging him on.

All too soon, orgasm claimed Allen. He groaned into her neck, his hot breath making Lenalee shiver, but not sending her over the edge.

“S-sorry,” he managed, blushing furiously as he pulled away. “I didn’t mean to—”

She chased after his lips and silenced him with her own. Tongues met in a languid dance as she pulled him back down, and she let an appreciative sigh escape as she felt his weight pressing against her once more. She led his hand down her body, and taking the hint, he slipped two fingers inside her, giving her the friction she so badly needed.

They pumped in and out quickly, and Lenalee moaned into his mouth. His pace increased with the intensity of their kisses. Allen whimpered when she caught his lower lip between hers, sucked, and then released it with an embarrassingly loud _smack_.

“Too much?” she breathed.

Allen shook his head. “Not enough.” He returned the favor and curled his fingers.

Lenalee cried out, and Allen drank in her moans as she reached climax. He kept at it until he left her gasping for air and it became almost too much for her oversensitive nerves to handle. Once she’d ridden it out, he removed his fingers, and she went completely limp.

She watched, a little dazed, as he laid beside her. Her arms felt like rubber as she pushed herself up to lean over him and kiss him again. It was a lazy, tender kiss, tongues meeting and tangling before her lips left his prematurely with a sigh. Lenalee let herself collapse and curl against his side, and he shifted to pull her closer. She slid a leg over his and hooked her knee around him.

He blushed as his cock stirred to life once again from their proximity, and Lenalee’s fingers traced down his abs to find his length. “Nng, Lenalee, you don’t have to—”

“I want to,” she murmured against his throat before sucking a small red mark on the pale skin she found there. This could be the last time she would see him for a long while. She’d return to the Order, and he would continue on with the others. Lenalee wanted as much of him as he would give before they parted.

His hand found hers, and he showed her, blushing all the while, how he liked to be touched. She was a quick study, and soon he was groaning and thrusting into her firm grip.

Lust flared within her once more. Lenalee nudged him to lay on his back and climbed on top of him. She teased the tip before sinking down. Filled again, she moved slowly, relishing the feeling of him inside her.

Even so, they were already at the end of their rope, and when he came, she spiraled after him, back arching and wanton sounds spilling unheeded from her lips. She leaned forward for another kiss, felt his cock slip out of her, and exhaustion nearly overwhelmed her.

He rolled them onto their sides and held her close once more. Her eyelids drooped, but she stubbornly blinked sleep back as she buried her face against his chest. His fingers traced up and down her spine as they had any number of times in her dreams.

After a while, Allen broke the silence. “I should head back.”

Lenalee’s arms tightened around him, hands pressing into his shoulder blades. “Stay,” she pleaded. “Please?”

He hugged her more tightly. “Okay. Just for tonight.”

Those three words hurt. Lenalee knew they had to part ways. She knew she had to go back to her brother, to the rest of her makeshift family at the Order. They were her world, the reason she hadn’t chased after him the first time he left. But Allen was part of that world too, a piece she’d despaired ever getting back even before the dreams began.

“Take me with you.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m an exorcist too. I can handle whatever’s going on.”

Allen sighed, pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I know you can, but that doesn’t mean you should.”

“We could run away,” she murmured, fatigue threatening to overtake her again.

He didn't answer. Instead, he ran his fingers through her hair, and with the sound of his steady heartbeat, she let herself be lulled into a deep, deep sleep.

* * *

Morning came too soon. No dreams punctuated her slumber, no visions of the future nor promises of what was to come, leaving Lenalee disoriented as she opened her eyes to sunshine leaking through the crack in the curtains. She sat up and shivered at the loss of warmth the blankets and Allen provided.

Next to her, Allen still slept, expression peaceful and breath even. She found herself smiling as she brushed his bangs from his eyes. He murmured something and hid his face in the pillow.

Lenalee slipped out of bed and padded across the wooden floor to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. Her thighs were sticky with sweat and other partially dried fluids that she didn’t want to think about now that the throes of passion had passed.

For a moment, she considered asking Allen to join her, but she dismissed the thought. He’d looked so comfortable, Lenalee almost felt guilty for thinking to wake him. Maybe if she hurried, she could snuggle in with him again. Though, considering how she felt upon waking, she didn’t really want to think what the sheets and blankets were like.

She took her time, letting the hot water wash away any residual soreness she felt from their amorous activities. She was especially feeling it in her lower back and thighs from riding him too hard at the end. Lenalee stifled a giggle. Did that say something about her, that she was feeling the aftereffects in parts of her _other_ than her womanhood? She didn’t know, but as far as she was concerned, the buzz in her veins was worth the stiff muscles.

Allen was awake by the time she stepped out of the shower, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Lenalee stopped dead and drew her towel more tightly around herself. Gold eyes greeted her. _Nea._ She felt the heat rise to her face.

“Oh please, I’m not interested in you. At all,” he grumbled, glancing around the room. He made an irritated sound as he picked up Allen’s discarded clothing. “Frankly, I don’t see what Allen likes about any of this.”

She moved out of his way as he headed for the bathroom. “What do you mean?”

“Sex. It’s gross. My skin’s crawling at the very thought.” Then his nose scrunched up. “And the _smell_ is worse than I imagined. Blech!” And with that, he slammed the bathroom door.

It took a good minute and the sound of water blasting out of the showerhead for Lenalee to break out of her stunned silence, and that was to burst out laughing. That had to be the most _childish_ response she’d ever heard. Though, she agreed on the smell. He was exaggerating a bit, but it did smell a little funky in the room, like body odor mixed with something else that made it obvious what had gone on the previous night.

Shaking her head, Lenalee dressed and headed over to the bakery next door to the inn. The chilly morning air had kept most people in their homes, and so she was in and out quickly, a bag loaded with an abundance of rolls and pastries in her arms. She’d picked an assortment, unsure what Nea liked and if he would still even be present when she returned, but she knew Allen would be more than happy to eat or take any leftovers with him.

Nea was still in the shower when she entered the room, the steam creeping in from the crack under the door. She set the bag down on the little table and knocked. The water stopped with a squeak of the knob within.

“I got us some breakfast,” she called.

The door creaked open, and Nea, peevish as ever, poked his head out. His golden eyes narrowed suspiciously at her, but he said, “Thanks,” anyway before closing the door once more.

Lenalee remembered what Allen had said about “trust issues” the night before and sighed. Here she was trying to do something nice and offer an olive branch in the form of food, and he was still contemplating how she could twist this in her favor.

A few minutes later, Nea emerged in a cloud of steam, toweling his hair to get as much of the moisture out as possible. His gaze lingered on Lenalee, his expression somewhere between mild befuddlement and distrust, before sweeping to the paper bag spilling its contents on the table like a cornucopia. Nimble fingers selected a little quiche from the middle of the pile, and he plopped down in the chair across from her.

“I should probably thank you,” he muttered after taking a few bites of his breakfast.

“You did before, didn’t you?”

“Not for the food,” amended Nea. “Well, sort of for the food. This is the first time I’ve eaten _anything_ in this body.”

Lenalee’s hand paused with a muffin halfway to her lips. “Why thank me for that?”

“Allen’s still asleep,” he replied simply. “You must have _really_ tired him out. Guess sex is good for something after all.”

Heat colored her cheeks. She spluttered, “You… I…” but couldn’t string together the words to tell him off.

He waved a hand. “Sorry, forgot I was talking to a _lady_.” His tone was mocking, but it didn’t appear to be aimed at her. Not entirely, anyway. Cross had reprimanded him yesterday for the way he’d spoken to Lenalee, and maybe that was the cause.

She watched him curiously as he polished off the little quiche and selected another pastry, this one a pasty with sausage and vegetables stuffed inside. Content wasn’t quite the word for the expression on his face as he bit into it. He was more like a proud cat that turned its nose up at its dinner even as it daintily partook of its offering.

Nea noticed her stare and smirked. “I know you’re all lovey dovey for this idiot, but would you mind not drooling so much? You’re ruining my appetite.”

 _Yes, just like a cat._ Lenalee didn’t give him the satisfaction of embarrassment as she took another bite of muffin.

He observed her a little longer, sipping at the water she’d poured for him before he'd left the bathroom. “You’re not coming with us, by the way.”

She nearly choked. “Were you spying on us?”

Nea blushed. He actually blushed. “Hell no! I just know how people think!” He took a breath to steady himself, though the red was far slower in leaving his cheeks. “Look, I get it. You want to be near Allen and help him out or whatever—“ Lenalee opened her mouth to argue, but he held up a hand to stop her, “—but you’re not cut out for life on the run.

“Cross happened to have a hideout here, but most of the time we’re out in the elements. I don’t give a rat’s ass about you, but you’ve got a bun in the oven—“ Again, Lenalee tried to protest, but he talked over her, “—and I’m not listening to Allen worrying over you or the brat he put in you. We’re dealing with dangerous shit here, and hell, it’s risky enough _without_ someone who’s going to be in a delicate way soon. Got it?”

He had a point, even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it. “I’m an exorcist. I can handle whatever you're up to.”

The Noah studied her a moment. “I don’t doubt that you could,” he relented, “but if that Innocence didn’t lie its ass off to you and Allen really did get you with child, it’s only going to be hard on you. Even if you have the perfect pregnancy, no symptoms or anything, you’ll run into problems when you get further along. You’ll stand out. A pretty, young lady traveling with a bunch of guys, and an unwed mother to boot? It’s bad enough we’re stuck with Allen’s hair, Cross’s damn mask, and ponytail’s bad attitude.”

“I want to help—”

Frustrated, Nea combed his fingers through his tangled hair. “Then help by going back to your Order where you’ll be safe so this idiot’s not worrying about you. You can feed them whatever bullshit you need to, and they’ll be able to help you out if things get rough.”

Lenalee had a few choice words for him, but a knock at the door stopped her in her tracks. Nea frowned at her, suspicion clear on his face.

“Who is it?” she called.

The familiar, clipped voice of Howard Link replied, “Is Walker in there with you?”

Nea swayed, nearly fell out of his chair, and then a half-asleep Allen looked very confused for a moment. Then he realized _something_ was going on and jumped to his feet. “What’s—”

“See? Told ya he’d be here,” came Lavi’s muffled voice.

Allen looked relieved to hear his companions for about as long as it took his sleep-addled brain to realize that they likely knew the reason he’d spent the night. Then his face turned a brilliant shade of red to rival Lavi’s hair as Lenalee answered the door.

Lavi was grinning like an idiot. An idiot who had the perfect blackmail to lord over his best friend for the foreseeable future. “Sooo,” he said, a teasing lilt to his voice, “couldn’t stop _catching up_ on the latest doings of the Order?” He even had the audacity to waggle his eyebrows suggestively.

Lenalee wished the ground could swallow her up. Allen seemed of a similar opinion because after turning an even deeper shade of scarlet, Nea returned with an irritated scowl. “All right, enough fun at the brat’s expense.” He took Lavi by the shoulders, spun him, and shoved him roughly out of the doorway.

Then with a flash of silver eyes, Allen said to Lenalee, “Take care of yourself.”

Lenalee did her best to put on a brave face. “You too.” She pushed the bag of remaining pastries into Allen’s hands as she added, “And don’t share with Lavi.”


	9. Adjusting the Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama! Plot! More Drama!
> 
> (In other words, sorry, no smut this chapter).
> 
> Also, Google is probably convinced I'm pregnant now...
> 
> Also also, I'm just going to leave an emetophobia warning here.

For the first month, hiding the truth was easy. Other than a missed period, nothing was amiss, and even then, she was so fit from life as an exorcist that missing a month or three wasn’t _that_ strange for her. This meant she could go on pretending to be blissfully unaware for a while longer.

Even as she got into the second month, the worst she had was a bit of queasiness in the morning, but she found rather quickly that it dissipated easily enough once she ate something, so long as she took her time and that something wasn’t too strong in flavor or smell. That didn’t change much for her, as she’d always been the type to eat a light morning meal of toast with eggs or congee (and she’d always liked the latter with ginger, which turned out to be a godsend).

It wasn’t long before other annoyances began to creep up, however. She didn’t dare complain, but her corsets were getting uncomfortable. Not around her belly yet—that wouldn’t be for another few months at least—but around her tender, swollen breasts. This, she hadn’t been expecting. And worse, there wasn’t much she could do about it. Her things were custom made by the Order’s tailors out of a special stretchy fabric that allowed her freedom of movement while keeping everything firmly in place, no adjustments necessary and so no way to adjust them included. She’d have forgone the article entirely except no support was even worse, and the thick sweater she’d attempted to wear to hide her lack of corset, soft as it was, was plain torture against her sensitive nipples.

 _Why’d I agree to this?_ she thought, staring at the ceiling above her bed. Even without a shirt on, her poor breasts ached. At least the book she’d borrowed from the library almost a year ago and neglected to return had assured her this suffering would only be temporary—the tenderness, not the size—though how temporary she didn’t know. Nea won this round. Pregnancy was _already_ miserable, and while she could still handle her duties as an exorcist (she had just returned from a short, successful mission with Timothy and Miranda a few days prior), she wasn’t sure she could keep up with Allen and his group.

At least she wasn’t throwing up. That was something.

Her plan was straightforward enough. She’d act as if she had no idea what was going on or why she felt tired and achy for as long as possible. She would be honest if people asked, but she would shrug it off as a stomach bug. A likely culprit, considering no one knew of her having sex with Allen on her solitary mission. Then, when the symptoms got to be too much or someone insisted, she would go to the infirmary, get the truth, and act surprised by the news. Once it was out in the open, she would give them the bogus story she’d been working on about how several weeks ago (coincidentally while she was on that mission by herself) she’d had a vision of sleeping with her mysterious future husband and “realize” that she hadn’t had a vision since. Which she was contemplating doing now. Because seriously, this sucked. Not as bad as when her Innocence had injured her legs, but it was getting pretty darn close.

Deciding she would figure that out after breakfast, Lenalee dressed and headed down to the cafeteria. She ordered what had become her usual, congee with ginger and a soft-boiled egg, and found a seat with the other exorcists currently at Headquarters.

“We were going to train after breakfast,” Chaoji was saying as Lenalee forced herself to take the first bite of her morning meal. “Want to join us?”

Honestly, no, not really, but that might be fishy. She was hoping to put off the “discovery” just a little longer. “Sure.”

Since Chaoji was injured with a sprained wrist, Lenalee said she would help him out. On her own or with one of the others, she’d have to put forth more effort. With him, she could go easy and no one would question it. They traded punches and kicks, taking turns on offense and defense while they warmed up. It was going fairly well, too, until Lenalee got hit with a dizzy spell.

She had just thrown a kick for Chaoji to block, but when she returned to center, her vision went fuzzy at the edges. Next thing she knew, she was on the ground having landed on her butt.

“Are you okay?” Chaoji asked as he offered her a hand.

“Yeah. I just felt dizzy for a minute.” And it wasn’t going away. If anything, it was making her stomach… _No, no, no, no, no._

Lenalee clapped a hand over her mouth and hurried out of the training hall, but she didn’t get far from the doors before she collapsed to her knees and lost what little she’d eaten at breakfast. Curious heads peeked out the door, and then she heard hurried footsteps as Chaoji and Miranda rushed to her side.

“What’s wrong?” Miranda asked, panic making her far shriller than she likely intended. “Does your stomach hurt? What should we do?”

Lenalee attempted to get back to her feet, but vertigo hit again, and she pitched forward. Chaoji caught her before she landed in the puddle of sick. “I’ll take her to the infirmary,” he said, slinging her arm around his shoulders.

She leaned heavily on him as they walked, her free hand pressed firmly against her mouth as if that would quell the roiling in her gut. Chaoji was giving her advice as they went, telling her to just focus on her breathing and putting one foot in front of the other. Like he was used to this sort of thing.

Which, when she thought about it, he must be. Lenalee had forgotten that he was raised by the owner of a brothel.

“You don’t think,” he said quietly, “this is related to… _that_ , do you?” Confusion must have been apparent on her face because he added, “I know I said I wouldn’t bring it up again, but… what I walked in on that night.”

That was another thing she’d pushed from her mind. She was just glad he was being purposefully vague. While no one was in the hallway at the moment, there was always the chance of running into someone around the next corner.

She swallowed back bile and shook her head. “I can’t be,” she replied. “He didn’t… and I had my…” Lenalee didn’t have to fake the blush that rose to her cheeks, nor the tears that pricked her eyes.

Chaoji’s face was stony as he said, “It doesn’t take much. It happened sometimes even when the girls were being careful at Anita’s place.”

They were just about to reach the infirmary when he asked, “What are you going to do?”

Lenalee stared at him like he was nuts. How was that even a question? The Black Order was run by the Church. Short of miscarriage—which wouldn’t happen in Lenlaee’s case because of the Innocence—there was no way she was getting out of this.

Chaoji seemed to realize this too, for he modified his question with, “What are you going to tell them? About the father?”

Once again, she was glad no one was around to overhear. She told him in no uncertain terms—even if it was a bald-faced lie— “I’m not pregnant. I can’t—”

“But if you _are,_ ” he interrupted, “what will you say?”

She shook her head and stepped away from him. The lightheadedness had gone away at last. His voice softened as he said, “No one would blame you for it. If you need me to, I can tell them that he took advantage—”

_SMACK._

Her hand had moved before she knew she had even raised it. “Allen’s _not_ that kind of person.” Her voice was low and dangerous, even as it trembled in fury with the rest of her. Words tumbled from her without a second thought. “I’m the one who asked him that night. If anyone’s to blame, it’s _me_.”

The confession hung in the air between them. Chaoji’s eyes were wide as he touched his bruised cheek, and Lenalee wished she could take it all back. He would tell Komui, would report her to Central as a traitor to the Order. She’d seen how he’d reacted to Allen back on the Ark when he’d tried to save Tyki, how Chaoji had been the first to step forward when Allen’s nature as the Fourteenth’s host was revealed. He was fiercely loyal to the Black Order. The only reason he’d kept his promise not to tell anyone about that night was because he was in denial about what he saw then.

Lenalee’s stomach contorted again, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Chaoji held her hair back as she threw up in a nearby potted plant. He said nothing for a few minutes, just let Lenalee cough and cry until she was able to reign in the nausea once more.

When he spoke, his voice was surprisingly even, “I promised I wouldn’t tell, so I won’t. Just know that if anyone from Central asks, I won’t protect you or Walker.”

She closed her eyes, took a steadying breath. Lenalee wasn’t sure she deserved even that much after she’d slapped him. “Thanks.”

Chaoji handed her off to the Head Nurse and left without another word. The woman looked between them a moment, then deciding it wasn’t worth asking about, led Lenalee to the examination table. “What seems to be the trouble?” she asked.

Lenalee explained her symptoms, finishing with, “Chaoji thinks I might be… um…” She didn’t have to fake awkwardness as she placed a hand over her stomach. “He said I might be… pregnant.”

To her credit, the Head Nurse showed no reaction. “I see.” She went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle Lenalee recognized and a little test tube. “Is there a reason he might think that?”

What the woman meant by the question was obvious: _Is Chaoji the father?_ Oh, that would go over fabulously with her brother. “No, um… I got dizzy while we were training and got sick. I was pretty sure it was just a stubborn stomach bug until he said something on the way here.”

The nurse nodded and measured out a little of the bottle’s chemicals into the test tube. She then pricked Lenalee’s finger and squeezed a few drops of blood into it as well. That done, she closed it up, gave it a good shake, and set it aside so the reaction could take place while she finished the examination.

“Have you had sex with anyone recently?” asked the Head Nurse, prodding Lenalee’s abdomen.

A stab of guilt. “No.” Lenalee hated lying, but she didn’t have much choice considering the circumstances.

“Last period?”

“Just after the new year.”

“How long have you been feeling ill?”

“I’ve felt off for a couple weeks, but usually it’s better after breakfast.”

“Sensitivity to smells?”

Lenalee grimaced and nodded. The office itself with its lingering scent of cleaning chemicals was making her queasy.

“Any pain?”

“Cramps, and my breasts are a little sore. I thought it was just my period coming.” If she was late, that wasn’t uncommon, though it was far more uncomfortable now than it ever had been.

The nurse nodded and took notes before checking on the test tube, the contents of which had turned from its original pinkish hue to a dark blue. Before she could explain what this meant—what Lenalee already knew it meant—someone banged on the door.

“Lenalee!” came Komui’s very loud sobbing. “I heard you got sick! Are you okay? Do you need your brother to—”

The Head Nurse pinched the bridge of her nose. They were both all too familiar with this by now after all the years Komui had been at Headquarters. “Should I let him in?”

“He’ll come in one way or another,” Lenalee said with a resigned sigh. Best to get this over with.

Despite all his faults, Komui was a smart man. He was a scientist, and though he specialized in robotics, he had enough knowledge in chemistry and biology to know at a glance what the bottle on the table contained, what that particular chemical was used for in a medical setting, and what the reaction in the test tube meant. It took but a second for this to process, and then he flung himself, in tears, at his sister and clung to her, bawling his eyes out.

“Who did this to my poor sweet innocent little sister?!”

Lenalee was _sorely_ tempted to correct him on the “innocent” part, but she didn’t want to put her foot in her mouth any more than she already had that day. Instead, she decided to play dumb and asked the nurse, “That doesn’t mean what I think it means, does it?”

“I’m afraid it does. I can’t say for certain how far along you are without an ultrasound, but I'd estimate maybe two months.”

That was a pretty accurate guess, though Lenalee didn’t say so. She just continued with her lie, like dialogue from a well-rehearsed play. “But _how_? I haven’t… I mean…”

Then her eyes widened as if in realization. She pressed a hand to her stomach again and said, as if she’d forgotten about it entirely, “The Innocence!”

The nurse consulted her records. “The Innocence embedded itself in your womb over a year ago. What changed?”

Lenalee had planned to spin this lie just for the Head Nurse and then let her pass it along Komui. With him here, though, it made her feel that much more awful for doing it. “A… a while ago, I had a dream that was different than the other visions. I… ah… I think I slept with my future husband, and… now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve had any visions since.”

The blush was very real on her face, but it wasn’t out of embarrassment. It was shame for lying to them both. Even if she had a very good reason to do so.

“And when was this?” came the Head Nurse’s clipped question.

“It was a little less than two months ago. When I was on that mission looking for General Cross.”

“The timing matches up,” the woman mumbled to herself. She looked to Komui, who knew far more about Innocence than she did. “Perhaps the Innocence needed to find the right vision to trigger?”

Komui had been gawking at his sister, eyes wide behind his glasses, but at the nurse’s query, he turned away and said, “Yes, that could be it.” There was no sign of his earlier distress in his tone. “Head Nurse, would you mind if I spoke with my sister in private a moment?”

The nurse glanced at Lenalee, who nodded. “All right. I’ll be in the next room if you need me. Just remember this is the medical wing, and if you get too out of hand, I _will_ ask you to leave.”

Once she’d left the room, Komui wheeled the nurse’s desk chair closer and sat down. He took both of Lenalee’s hands in his. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he said, his voice and expression strangely sober for him. “but I know something’s been going on. There’s more to this than just the Innocence, isn’t there?”

Lenalee bit her lip and averted her eyes. She didn’t want to lie to her brother, but if she told him, he could get into trouble too. She at least had the protection of being an exorcist with child—not that his accommodator status had done much to protect Allen, but they’d kept him alive. Komui they might not hesitate to execute as a traitor for knowing.

Komui squeezed her hands. “Lenalee,” he said, “I’m asking not as the Chief Officer of the Order but as your brother. I swear that anything you tell me won’t leave this room, consequences be damned. Because I’m your brother, and I love you more than anything.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Lenalee withdrew her hands and scrubbed at the tears overflowing from her eyes. He patted her on the head as he’d done when she was little. “Then promise me something else?”

“Anything.”

“Don’t send a Komurin after Allen, okay?”

The name just slipped out, and intelligent as Komui was, it still took a second for that sentence and all it implied to sink in. Even when it had, he second guessed himself. Third and fourth guessed himself too. “Are you telling me that Allen’s the person you saw in your vision?”

Lenalee nodded and couldn’t meet her older brother’s gaze. She hesitated but decided it best to get the full truth out in the open. “The Innocence showed me a lot of things about the future, but one of its predictions that it insisted on was that I needed to have Allen’s child or else the Millennium Earl would win in the upcoming battle.”

Komui opened his mouth, but Lenalee stopped him. “I don’t know how that works either. The Innocence couldn’t explain.”

Her brother nodded. Then a thought struck him. “The Innocence… wasn’t the thing that made you pregnant, was it…”

“No, it wasn’t.”

Komui worked his jaw, trying to get words to come out, but not a sound escaped him. Lenalee was prepared for him to freak out, to start shouting threats at Allen even though he wasn’t present or to begin plotting another Komurin. The silence was out of character for him, and now anxiety gnawed at her insides as much as the nausea.

She flinched as he patted her head again, but when she looked up, he was smiling. His goofy smile, the one he used to mess with Reever and the others. “Ah, I’ll just have to have a talk with this _future husband_ of yours once we figure out who it is,” he said, his voice light and singsong. “I’ll make sure he takes _full responsibility_ even if he has _no idea_ what the Innocence did.”

“Ah, um… I-I told him everything, and he’s already—”

“Once we find whoever it is,” he insisted, still beaming, “I’ll have a nice long talk.”

Lenalee’s brow furrowed. Why was he—but then she understood. Komui was going to make the “official story” the one she’d given the nurse, that the Innocence had somehow done this and the father, whoever that was had no idea. She flung her arms around Komui. “Thank you, Big Brother.”


	10. Seasons Change

“You must be joking!”

Komui didn’t flinch when Bak stood so quickly, his chair tumbled backward with a clatter. A few of their superiors from Central had, and those who hadn’t with the first sound did when he slammed his palms down on the table.

“You can’t force her to go through with this!”

“I have spoken with her on the matter,” said Komui, somehow keeping his voice free of the emotions coursing through him, “and Lenalee has agreed to carry the accommodator to term and give birth.”

“She’s your sister!”

“She’s also an exorcist, and as such has a duty to the Order and the Innocence.” The very words tasted vile on his tongue even as he spoke them aloud, but he hid this with Herculean effort. It wouldn’t help anyone to lose his composure. He had to make sure they made the best arrangements possible for Lenalee considering the circumstances, and to do that, he needed to keep his head.

One of the men from Central nodded his approval. “It will be a shame to sideline an exorcist for so long, but it will be beneficial when the accommodator is born. If they have the abilities the Innocence has shown through Miss Lee, this will prove a boon for our organization.”

That’s all she was to them: a tool for their organization. Komui gritted his teeth but was careful to hide his mouth behind his folded hands. It was a trick he’d picked up early on in his tenure, one that had saved him countless times. Times like now, when they were discussing the cost-benefit of _human life_ , of treating a young woman like an incubator for their holy war. Of forcing two people hardly old enough to marry to become parents.

His hands trembled ever so slightly, but he stilled them before anyone noticed. Lenalee had said Allen Walker knew what he was getting into, that they had both made the decision themselves, even if it was under duress. Even though she was crying as she told him the truth, he’d seen something else in her eyes as well: determination. There was something else behind her accepting this fate, and Komui suspected that _something_ might be Allen.

And that had him worried. For both of them.

He tapped his foot beneath the table as those from Central discussed what to do about Lenalee. Mostly these were things that Komui agreed needed to be done, like taking her off active duty as an exorcist, making arrangements for the baby when it was born, that sort of thing. One of the more religious members suggested Lenalee be wed before she began to show, which Komui squashed with a simple, “Lenalee has had visions of the future through the Innocence which have seen her happily married. Her husband is currently unknown, but we should let this matter alone for now.”

“It would be foolish to marry her off,” agreed another, though for different reasons. “Too much attachment. It’s bad enough that she’ll have a _child_ to distract her from our mission.”

“I was under the impression,” stated Tiedoll, “that her visions of married life are in the near future.”

“That would be correct.” Reever flipped through a packet of papers. “From what Lenalee has reported, our final battle with the Millennium Earl will be coming in a matter of months. She marries not long after that. _If_ the Earl is defeated.”

The man from Central frowned. “Then what is the purpose of this exercise? If the Innocence’s accommodator doesn’t even see battle, why bother?”

The meeting continued, but little was ultimately decided. In the end, it would be left to Komui as Chief Office to handle his sister as he saw fit.

* * *

As soon as Central heard reports of Lenalee’s predicament, she was taken off active duty once again and the other exorcists alerted of her condition. Chaoji had frowned at the news that it was related to the Innocence but stuck to his promise. Still, whenever he was at Headquarters, he made a point of watching her with the same air of mistrust he’d shown Allen so long ago.

As the long winter melted into a late spring and the spring bloomed into summer, Lenalee did her best to stay busy. Even as the signs of her condition became obvious even to those who hadn’t been informed at the start, she kept up her self-assigned duties at the Order. She made coffee for everyone in the science section, she worked with Jerry in the kitchen, she helped Bridget keep Komui in line (which became easier and more difficult in equal measure the larger she grew with child).

Her brother had become withdrawn, alternating between stoic professionalism when dealing with anything related to Lenalee’s condition and open sobbing. Even when Lenalee tried to make him focus on the good to come of this (“You’ll have a little niece or nephew to dote on” and the like), he just got teary eyed and would cling to her until Bridget managed to pry him off.

On one such occasion in late September, Lenalee had waved the secretary off, asking her to let them be alone a few minutes, and once she was gone, guided Komui to the loveseat in his office. They sat together, Lenalee not attempting to make conversation as her brother sniffled next to her. She would let him talk when he was good and ready.

Eventually, he said, so quietly she almost didn’t catch it, “I wish the Innocence had never chosen you.”

“This might have happened anyway.”

Pain and grief flickered across Komui’s features, but he schooled his expression. “I never wanted you to have to choose between duty and living a normal life. This is too cruel to ask of _anyone_. Even if you were… were married already and in love and wanting a child, to be told you have to and then…” He didn’t finish, but she knew what he meant. Even had the circumstances been as he described, to be forced to give birth and then give up the child to the Order was too terrible for words. Komui had gone through similar more than a decade ago with Lenalee.

Lenalee placed a hand over her protruding stomach and sighed. “I know, but it’ll work out in the end. I’m sure of it.” She tried to smile. “We just have to- _ah!_ ”

Komui was on his feet in an instant. “What’s wrong? Should I get the nurse?”

She started laughing. “Sorry. She just _kicked_ me.” Lenalee wiped a pained tear from her eye.

Her brother blinked, but relaxed. He hovered, unsure what to do or say until Lenalee took his hand and laid it on her belly. His eyes widened as he felt movement.

“It’ll be okay,” she said. “I’m sure she thinks so too.”

“When did it become a she?”

Lenalee hummed to herself. “Mother’s intuition,” she replied. Then with a small, teasing smile, “And the Head Nurse told me the other day.”

* * *

“Miranda, do you need some help carrying all that?”

The exorcist in question jumped and dropped the two paper bags she’d been juggling. Balls of yarn rolled away, unraveling as they went, and a pair of knitting needles clattered to the stone floor. She dropped to her knees and scrambled to collect the scattered crafting materials. “No, no, I’ve got it.”

“Are you sure?” Lenalee did her best to hide the small groan as she sank down to help corral the wayward yarn. Her belly was getting in the way more and more these days, but she refused to let it show. “What are you going to do with all this anyway?”

“It’s a secret.” Even so, Miranda was so easy to read as she glanced at Lenalee’s stomach.

Lenalee set the last escaped ball of red in the bag. Standing back up was more difficult than getting down, though, and Miranda had to help her back to her feet.

October had brought with it the leaves changing color and blessedly cooler weather after the hot summer. And more worries for Lenalee. The Head Nurse had set her due date for early November but had warned that there was always the chance the baby would arrive sooner. “The baby decides when it decides,” she had said before giving Lenalee a rundown of what to expect and instructions to hurry to the infirmary when she saw the first signs of labor.

 _Two more weeks,_ she thought with a sigh as she waddled down the hall. Part of Lenalee was looking forward to this being over and done with, but she was also scared. Childbirth wasn’t easy. If anything, it was downright dangerous. She could be in labor for hours and hours and bleed out and—

Lenalee banished the thought with a shaky breath. She’d caught glimpses of the future, and not a single one had her on her death bed. Though, when she thought about it, the Innocence had conveniently left out any details of the birthing process too. Of all the things it had shown her, she was certain she’d remember _that_ if it had.

So lost in thought was she that she almost missed the shouts when the alarm was raised. “Intruders at Gate 4!”

That wasn’t far from where she was. Lenalee hobbled down the hall as fast as her feet would carry her, not for a moment considering that she ought to join the noncombatants in evacuating the area. When she reached the large open room that housed the gates, she stopped dead in her tracks. Not from panic or fear, but from bewilderment.

Six easily recognizable figures stood before the gate, ones she hadn’t seen in months. Kanda, dark hair tied back and features set into a scowl as he eyed the guards who pointed mundane weapons at them while fingering Mugen’s hilt. Lavi, messy red hair kept out of his eyes with a new bandana, beaming at her and the exorcists who stopped short behind her. Cross, looking supremely uninterested as he lit a cigarette. Link, standing at attention and requesting a meeting with Lvellie immediately. Johnny, putting on a brave face even as he trembled.

And Allen, smiling as he gazed around the home he’d left behind almost two years ago. When he saw Lenalee, silver flickered to gold for a brief moment as his lips parted in surprise. Lenalee tried not to laugh, even as tears threatened to roll down her cheeks at the sight of their missing comrades returned to them unharmed. What had Nea expected to see? He couldn't _really_ have thought the visions all a load of bullshit, could he?

Chaoji charged past her before she had a chance to react. With a shout that resounded through the room, he lunged for Allen, only to be stopped by Mugen and Iron Hammer pointed at his chest.

A smirk played across Allen’s expression as the gold returned. “I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome,” said Nea.

“Not helping, Chibi-chan,” Lavi commented.

“Stop calling me that, Junior, or so help me—”

Cross grabbed Nea by the back of his collar and yanked, making the Noah in Allen’s skin stumble back a few paces. “ _Behave_. Or have you forgotten where we are?”

He scowled up at the man but fell silent as Lvellie approached. Then his affectations became so much like Allen’s, she thought they’d traded places again. Then she remembered that Allen, though always polite, was also cold and harsh with the high-ranking inspector from Central. This was different. Not genuinely warm by any means, but the greeting had a practiced cordiality to it. Everything about his manner now was of someone trained from the time they could walk for polite society, making Allen’s gentlemanly behavior pale in comparison.

“You must be Inspector Lvellie,” Nea said, offering a hand to shake. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you from your subordinate.”

Lvellie seemed genuinely thrown by this behavior, as did an equally stunned Howard Link. Nea must have been just as much a jerk to his traveling companions as he had been to Lenalee herself.

The man cleared his throat and took the hand proffered, though he winced almost imperceptibly when the Noah squeezed the hand hard enough to hurt. He was raised well, but that didn’t mean he liked suffering humans.

“The Fourteenth, I presume?”

Nea’s smile stiffened. There was no mirth in his eyes as he said, voice dripping with saccharine sweetness, “Why Inspector! Surely you’ve read the reports you had _dear_ _Howard_ send back to you. Unless you were okay with supporting a _nameless Noah_ this whole time.”

Cross sighed out a cloud of smoke. Nea didn’t react in the least when he received a sharp kick to the shin, but the air of distant politeness was back. Lvellie, too, had the same stiff civility and the advantage of age to not show any reaction. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“I’m afraid I’ve come with a warning,” Nea replied, “and a request. I’d have sent it through the normal channels, but time is of the essence.”

The group was led away by CROWs not long after, and though Lenalee had tried to slip into her brother’s office under the guise of delivering refreshments, she was stopped at the door by Bridget. Disappointed but not surprised, she joined her fellow exorcists in the cafeteria as they discussed in hushed voices their theories.

At first, the focus was on Lavi, Link, and Cross, easy topics without much division among their ranks. They were _alive_ , and though opinions differed a little in the cases of Link and Cross, they were all overjoyed by that fact.

Even so, they had to face the elephant in the room. Krory asked hesitantly, “You don’t think that was really the Fourteenth, do you?”

“It had to be,” spat Chaoji. “His eyes were the wrong color. Yellow, like the rest of that clan.”

Miranda set down her knitting, which she’d been feverishly working at as they talked. “B-but what do you think he’s talking about with Inspector Lvellie? And why would the others be with him?”

“Because Allen’s still in there,” replied a voice behind them.

All heads turned to see Lavi, grinning at them as if he’d never left and leaning heavily on a very grumpy Kanda. The redhead glanced from face to face, then his gaze halted on Lenalee. With acting skills that could win him awards, his mouth fell comically open in shock at the sight of her and asked, “Okay, who did Komui have to kill, and who’d the Order pay off for him to still be here?”

The tension broke, or at least it did for Lenalee. She burst out laughing and it took her pressing her hand against her mouth to stifle it to a fit of giggles. Chaoji just glared as if he _knew_ Lavi was lying and knew the culprit.

“There was an accident with some Innocence,” she explained once she’d managed to get her giggle-fit under control, though she figured Lavi already had a good guess who the father was considering the timing.

Kanda, it seemed, did not. His eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at Lenalee, not comprehending what it was he saw before him. Which she supposed he didn’t. Kanda had lived his whole life at the Black Order, and he likely hadn’t seen anyone he knew pregnant. Passerby on missions, surely, but it was unlikely he’d ever connected in his brain that _people had babies_ and that it was a possibility with someone he knew. “…How?”

“Aw, did no one give Yuu-chan the talk growing up?” Lavi teased, poking the samurai’s cheek.

“Fuck off—”

“Watch your language,” Lenalee scolded, quickly covering Timothy’s ears. The eleven-year-old had likely heard worse while out in the field, but she didn’t want him picking up bad habits from Kanda.

Lavi kept up his ruthless teasing. “You heard Mama Lena. No cursing, Yuu-chan.”

“I will run you through right now and do us _all_ a favor.”

The scene, so familiar, warmed Lenalee’s heart as she heaved herself from her seat to give them both a hug. One that her swollen belly got in the way of, but for now it would do. “What are you all doing here?” she asked softly so the others wouldn’t hear.

“Stuff’s about to go down big time,” replied Lavi in an equally confidential tone. “We’re gonna need back up, and you guys needed the heads up.”

* * *

An hour had passed, and still no sign of Allen. Lenalee lingered in the science section serving coffee, always keeping the door to Komui’s office in her line of sight. Cross hadn’t come out yet either, which she hoped meant Allen was still alive and breathing. She only had confirmation of life when the door burst open and Nea tore out with a Komurin—when had Komui built that thing and _how_ had he fit it into his new office without Bridget knowing?—hot on his heels as it just barely fit through the door.

Either from survival instinct or on Allen’s instruction, the Noah made a beeline for the heavily pregnant Lenalee and showed no shame in using her as a human shield. So normal was this to Lenalee that she activated her Dark Boots, silently thanking them for not forcing her into heels this time, and kicked the robot in the head without a second thought.

“Big Brother, what did I tell you about using Komurins?!” she shouted, Innocence returning to its previous anklet form.

“B-but Lenalee!” he sobbed, throwing himself at her feet to plead his case. Lenalee wasn’t having any of this and just took the opportunity to drag him back into his office by the ear.

Nea watched them, mouth hanging slightly open, until Cross similarly dragged him by the collar of his shirt back to the office. “Oh _hell_ no. I’m not staying near that madman one more minute!” This fell on deaf ears, but that didn’t stop him from trying to convince Cross to release him anyway. “He attacks unprovoked!”

“Oh, I assure you it wasn’t unprovoked,” Cross replied, smirking around his cigarette.

Once the door was safely closed and Cross flicked a silencing spell at the door, Lenalee tore into her brother. “You promised you wouldn’t send a Komurin after Allen!”

Komui gave a dramatic snotty sniffle. “B-but… He… he said he would take _responsibility_ for you. Like you were just a... a consequence!”

“Oh for the love of…” Nea slapped his palm against his forehead, the reason for Komui’s outburst earlier at last becoming clear. _Wasn’t unprovoked_ indeed. “Allen, _you_ sort this shit out.”

The switch was sudden, and Allen took a nervous step back as Komui turned teary and angry eyes on him. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then how _did_ you mean it?!”

At a loss, Allen looked to Cross for help.

His master simply flicked his cigarette butt to Timcanpy, who caught it midair, and lit another smoke. “Don’t look at me, brat. You two got yourselves into this mess. You two can sort this out. Now if you don’t mind, I believe I have a bottle of fine wine upstairs in my old quarters that I’d like to get acquainted with.” And with that, Cross just up and left.

Lenalee sighed and sat on the loveseat. “Go easy on him, Big Brother. Like General Cross said, we _both_ decided this.”

“But Lenalee!” Komui threw himself at her as he so often had in the last few months. “I don’t want him treating you like a—”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Allen repeated a little more forcefully this time. His face was red as he stared at the ground. “I… It would be too…” He took a breath. His hands were shaking at his sides, and his face turned even redder. “I… I feel like it’s too soon to say that I l-love Lenalee,” he said, stumbling over the word, “but I can’t think of any other way to describe how I feel. I’ve liked her for a long time, but… with everything going on, I just kind of… pushed those feelings aside and…”

Allen shook his head. “If I’m being honest, I don’t really know what _love_ is.” He met Lenalee’s gaze and gave a pained smile. “But… I think that’s how I feel right now.”

It would have been a beautiful moment, and Lenalee would remember it as such when she reminisced about Allen’s confession years later, but in the present, it was ruined by Komui. It started with a lip quiver and quickly became full-on blubbering. Never one to do anything by half, he wiped his eyes dramatically with his arm as fountains of tears poured forth.

“I’ll forgive you this time,” he bawled. “I’ll put all the blame on that horrible Innocence that forced you two to rush into this. I just want my sister to be happy.”

Having been away for so long, Allen had almost forgotten Komui’s overdramatic tendencies and retreated a few steps. Lenalee, having been kept in his presence so much recently from her cloistering, was used to this and just patted her brother’s shoulder in half-hearted comfort.

Then she winced and her hands flew to her stomach. The waterworks stopped instantly, and Komui was fussing over her. “What’s wrong? Was it a contraction? Do we need to—”

“Calm down!” Lenalee grunted out. “She just kicked me in the ribs again.”

Allen made a cautious approach. “She?”

Lenalee nodded as she leaned back on the loveseat to get more comfortable. “Yes. She’s been moving around a lot lately. Want to feel?” She ignored the look Komui directed at Allen, as if daring him to take her up on the offer in front of him, and took Allen’s hand in her own.

The baby moved again, and Lenalee saw a number of emotions flit across his face. Surprise, joy, disbelief, panic, and other ones harder to describe. All the things she’d been feeling for months, and he was experiencing them all at once, maybe faced with some of them for the first time as the reality of the situation sunk in.

She found herself smiling as she pushed herself to her feet. Forgetting for a moment that her brother was present, Lenalee pressed a brief kiss to Allen’s lips. Komui let out a horrified cry behind her, and so she turned to face him. “Just so you know,” she told him, “Allen asked me to marry him _months_ ago, and I already accepted.”

And with a bright laugh bubbling up, she left Komui and the office with Allen in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my head, Nea 100% knows how to behave in public and just chooses to be a dick.
> 
> Also, I like to think Nea gripes constantly about Allen being shorter than he was, and so Lavi has dubbed him "Chibi-chan" just to mess with him.


	11. Reunited

Once they had safely reached her room, Lenalee sat on her bed with a small, relieved sigh. Allen hesitated before joining her, his shoulder touching hers. She gratefully leaned against him.

They sat together in companionable silence for a while. Then, Allen asked tentatively, “How have you been?”

She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’ve been okay. It was a little rough at the start, but I’ve been doing better lately.” She laid a hand on her belly. “Especially now that I know you’re okay.”

He placed his hand over hers. “I’m sorry I couldn’t—”

“I know,” she whispered. “You couldn’t be here, and as much as I wanted to go after you, I don’t think I would’ve been able to keep up for long.”

Leaning against Allen made her back and shoulders ache from the angle, and so she sat up again with a groan, already missing the warmth and comfort. As if reading her mind, Allen moved to sit behind her and set to massaging her shoulders and working out the knots he found.

Lenalee giggled, remembering the last time they’d been alone together. “You really are good with your hands, aren’t you?”

Allen missed her double-meaning entirely. “One of Master’s benefactors had trouble with rheumatism, and she conned me into shoulder rubs when I was little.” He tilted his head in mild confusion when she shook with laughter. Then her earlier meaning became clear, and he blushed.

For a moment, Lenalee wondered if she shouldn’t have teased him, but she was glad she had a moment later. He brushed her hair aside, so much longer now than it had been a year before, and pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. His breath against her skin made her shiver. Arousal, long forgotten with her condition, prickled across her skin.

“Allen,” she breathed as he pressed another kiss to her neck. She reached a hand up to touch the one he’d left on her shoulder.

He leaned forward to see her face. Pink dusted his cheeks as he asked, “Is it okay? I mean, if we…?”

“We might have to… get a bit creative,” she said, a coy smile playing across her features.

His lips met hers, tender and slow, mouths moving together and sending little thrills like electricity through Lenalee’s veins, reawakening parts of her she’d thought atrophied. When they broke apart, he said, blushing but eager, “Tell me what you want to try.”

It took a little experimentation to find a way for them both to be comfortable—more an issue for Lenalee than for the acrobatic Allen. What worked to start had Lenalee’s shoulders pressed against Allen’s chest, her head leaned back on his shoulder, his legs to either side of her. His fingers played with her clit while his cock, hot and hard, twitched against her back as she squirmed, giving Lenalee a strange sense of déjà vu.

His lips found her shoulder, and hot, open-mouthed kisses rained upon the flesh he found there. Remembering last time, he sucked a small bruise and earned a quiet, appreciative moan.

They had to be careful as Lenalee moved forward onto her hands and knees. “Is this okay?” asked Allen.

Lenalee shifted, spreading her legs just a bit. “Should be.”

Allen kissed her shoulder before sinking in. Lenalee let out a small gasp and pressed back against him, sheathing him entirely inside her. It had been so long since she felt this stretch. Too long. It was too much, but still not enough.

She fisted the sheets and bit her bottom lip to stay quiet. Here, they didn’t have the protection of a silencing spell or the anonymity of a random inn. If they made too much noise, someone _would_ come to check on her, and while she’d been able to swear Chaoji to secrecy, others might not be so understanding.

He kissed her back and shoulders, letting her get used to the feeling of being filled again before he began to rock into her, small movements that made her whine softly for more. He obliged, plunging in with long strokes that made them both bite back the sounds that so desperately wanted to escape their throats.

His thrusts were going so much deeper in this position. Lenalee struggled to keep her voice low as she desperately rasped out, “ _Allen_.” One hand went to her belly, supporting it as she forced her hips back against him with each stroke of his cock. She was getting close. She could feel her core tightening, her toes curling, her whole body going taut.

And then the cup overflowed. She gasped out as climax washed over her. Her limbs quivered, and she could feel herself tightening around Allen. He tipped over the edge then, his movements slowing as he rode it out.

His spent member slipped out, and Lenalee felt his release dripping from her as he pulled her back against him so she sat flush against his chest. His arms held her around her shoulders, and his lips found the shell of her ear. Lenalee shivered and sighed contentedly.

She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed this. Though they’d only done this a few times in reality, she’d had so many dreams that she’d become used to the intimacy. No wonder they had sex so often once they were married if this hum in her veins and the comfortable heaviness in her limbs were her reward.

One of Allen’s hands strayed lower to rest on her stomach. The baby, uncharacteristically still for the span of their activities, chose that moment to kick, earning a gasp from Lenalee and a surprised sound from Allen.

“I think that means she’s glad you’re here,” Lenalee teased, laying her head against his shoulder once again.

“How long until…?”

“Two weeks, give or take.” She scrunched her nose. “I’m not sure if I should be excited or terrified.”

“You can be both.”

Lenalee let her eyes fall closed as she nodded. She’d have been content to stay like this longer, Allen’s warmth seeping into her back and his seed slick between her legs, but for a knock at the door making Allen tense.

“Yes?” she called tiredly. “Who is it?”

Link’s voice, clipped as ever, called, “Is Walker with you?”

Both relaxed. He wouldn’t be so blunt if anyone else were around to hear. Lenalee reached for the loose dress she’d abandoned on her coverlet. “Yes, give us a second.”

Presentable again, Lenalee opened her bedroom door. Link’s expression was of professional detachment, but there was no denying the slight red tinting his cheeks as he said, “Really, Miss Lee. You must be due in—”

“Two weeks,” she finished for him, “and you can lecture me when you’ve carried a child for eight months.”

Link pinched the bridge of his nose as if he felt a headache coming on. “Very well. I’ll leave the issue alone this time.” He turned to his charge. “You, however, _know_ you’re not to wander the Order unsupervised.”

“We weren’t unsupervised,” came Nea’s bored response. “Besides, those two were so busy going at it that I couldn’t cause trouble even if I wanted to.”

Lenalee’s face burned. It was easy to forget that Nea was in Allen’s head sometimes in the heat of the moment. “Can’t you just go away?”

He flashed her a grin. “Best I can do is cover my figurative ears and pretend not to exist. Works well enough for you two, but it’s ever so dull, so I think I’ll have some fun now that Allen’s had his.”

The flush in Link’s cheeks deepened at Nea’s words. He coughed, then said evenly, “You are to come with me, Campbell.”

“Can I come too?” Lenalee asked.

“We are just going to our quarters,” Link informed her. “You need not join us.”

Lenalee twisted a lock of her hair around her finger. “Then… can Allen stay here with me tonight?”

Nea balked. “No thanks.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

Link heaved a heavy sigh. “Miss Lee, I cannot leave either of these two unsupervised. It’s bad enough you managed to slip away while I was otherwise engaged, but—”

“Then can I sleep in your room?” Lenalee placed a hand on her belly, hoping to earn some sympathy as she pouted at the CROW. “I promise we won’t do anything. I just don’t want to be alone. It’s been hard, being on my own like this.”

Link’s mouth fell open, unsure how to handle the plea of a very pregnant woman. Nea, meanwhile, looked put out. “Ugh, _fine_. Just stop looking like that. It’s weirding me out.” And with that statement, gold faded once more to silver. For all his dislike and distrust of humans, even Nea couldn’t refuse when she looked at him like that.

* * *

Nea and Link might have regretted giving in to Lenalee’s request after the third time she’d had to get up that night, but Allen was content to wrap her up in his arms each time she returned. Even with her trips to the bathroom, it was the best Lenalee had slept in weeks, snuggled in Allen’s embrace. Even the child inside her had settled down for the night, perhaps picking up on the serenity her father seemed to radiate.

That’s why morning’s arrival was so disappointing. Especially when someone knocked at their door to wake them at the ungodly hour.

Link answered, blocking their view of their visitor just as much as he blocked the visitor’s. Lenalee was certain she heard Johnny’s voice and craned her neck to see, but Link closed the door before she caught a glimpse.

The sight of the dark coat he returned with made Allen’s eyes widen. “There must be some mistake,” he said, taking in the golden trim.

“There’s no mistake,” was Link’s snipped reply as he pushed the folded uniform into his arms. “Get changed. All exorcists are required in Komui’s office in twenty minutes. That includes you as well, Miss Lee.”

After a stop at her room to get her uniform’s jacket (they hadn’t made her a new one as she was off duty, so she had to live with it unbuttoned over her maternity dress), they found the others already assembled. The generals—Cross among their ranks despite no longer being an accommodator—nodded their greetings to Allen without surprise, while the others looked on in shock at the decorations. Or in Chaoji’s case, skepticism. As if Allen and Nea were attempting to pull the wool over their eyes.

Komui gave a light cough to get their attention, and all heads turned to him and Lvellie. “As you can see,” he announced, “Allen Walker has been promoted to the status of General as well.” The _as well_ was in reference to a certain grumpy samurai who propped up the wall on the far side of the office, also wearing a uniform marking his new rank. “If you have any concerns, please bring them to me _after_ the meeting and I will do my best to explain our reasons.” This seemed directed at Chaoji in particular, for the chief’s gaze lingered on the other man as he said it.

“Now then, on to the business at hand.” He faltered but a moment, eyes darting to Allen, before continuing, “We have received word that the Millennium Earl is making his move. We have been making preparations since last night for an attack on the Black Order itself. It seems… it seems that the Earl has determined we have collected the Heart and will be attacking us directly to destroy it and our organization.”

Gasps and cries of shock and dismay filled the office, but at Komui lifting a hand, fell silent. “We don’t have much time. We’ve been given a chance to prepare courtesy of Allen and Nea, the person you all know as the Fourteenth Noah, but time is of the essence. The Clan of Noah could attack at any moment, though it is unlikely they will be ready before tomorrow. Be ready. If you have an equipment-type or crystal-type Innocence, keep it on you at all times.”

With that, he gestured for Allen to step forward. Allen swallowed the lump in his throat, and his eyes flickered to a gold that matched his new uniform. Nea turned toward those assembled, and for the first time, Lenalee didn’t see the slightest hint of cockiness. He didn’t appear nervous, but his usual overconfidence was absent.

“There are a few things you need to know before the battle,” he said, standing at attention. “There are thirteen Noah in total, counting the Millennium Earl. The incarnation of Noah’s Wrath was reborn recently, and though she is still new among their ranks, she _will_ be dangerous, as I’m sure Kanda can attest.

“Of the thirteen, Allen and I have been able to win three to our side. Or at least, convince them to stay out of the fray. If you come face-to-face with the Noah Road, Tyki, or Wisely, do not engage. They may not help you, but at the very least, they shouldn’t attack unless you provoke them.” Nea paused a moment, then, “If they attack you, don’t hesitate to fight back, but don’t start anything.”

That did not sit well with Chaoji. “How do we know we can trust you? Or them?”

“Frankly, I don’t trust them either,” Nea replied flatly. “Just because the hosts _say_ they will cooperate with us, that promise doesn’t extend to the memories inside them. Engaging them _will_ cause Noah’s memories to take over, and that’s a fight you’re unlikely to win without casualties. The fewer we have to deal with, the better.

“As for me,” he continued, a mockery of Allen’s smile playing across his lips, “you’ll just have to accept that I’m your superior officer now and— _ow!_ ”

Cross had unceremoniously smacked Nea upside the head. The Noah rubbed at the small lump, scowling all the while, but straightened and returned to his serious comportment. “You don’t have to trust me,” he said. “I don’t care if you do or you don’t. Just know that I have a bone to pick with the Millennium Earl myself, same as Allen. We’ll defeat the Earl ourselves or die trying.”

His gaze had drifted to Lenalee, and she saw silver with that last sentence. Then the gold was back, and with a cheeky grin, Nea turned back to Komui. “So Chief, what’s the plan?"


	12. The Earl's Arrival

Everyone was walking on eggshells as evening approached the next day and there was still no sign of the Earl nor his Akuma. It didn’t help anyone’s rising anxiety that more shared Chaoji’s opinion of Kanda’s and Allen’s promotions than Komui initially anticipated. Allen took it in stride, however. Even when members of different departments tried to take their fears and frustrations out on the recently returned exorcist, Allen kept his cool. It helped that he easily dodged the garbage hurled at him and the tripping hazards thrust in his path with expert skill.

The same could not be said for Nea.

“All right, who did that?!” shouted the Noah after an egg collided with the back of his head. The goo dripped from his hair as he spun to face his would-be assailants, but Link grabbed his arm and hauled him back into his seat.

“Maybe you should let Allen take over?” Lavi suggested. He, Kanda, and Lenalee were the only exorcists brave—or perhaps used to his nonsense—enough to sit with Nea. When Nea’s glare, so much like Kanda’s, turned on him, the redhead shrugged it off and went back to his yakiniku.

Grumbling to himself while Lenalee took pity and dabbed at the egg with a napkin, Nea took a chomp of his roast chicken. He had the same look of mild disdain on his face as he’d had that morning with the bakery she’d bought, but he radiated far less murderous intent after that first bite.

Though he hid it well, Lenalee could tell Nea was on edge just as much as everyone else. His usual cockiness seemed forced whenever he was out, and he seemed eager to pick a fight with all of their friends. Those who had traveled with him ignored his efforts, with only Lavi repaying his insults with the same teasing he so often inflicted upon Kanda to similar effect.

The only ones he seemed to exempt from his moods were Cross and for some reason, Lenalee herself. If anything, he watched her closely with those unnerving honey-colored eyes. Not with worry like Komui did nor curiosity. It was like she was a piece to a puzzle he’d never seen the completed image for, and he was determined to figure out where she fit.

When she asked Lavi about this the next day, all he did was laugh. “Maybe he’s got a crush on ya?”

Lenalee considered it for maybe half a second before dismissing the idea. “I don’t think he’s interested in _anyone_ like that.”

“Good point. Chibi-chan hates pretty much everyone.” Lavi put his hands behind his head and thoughtfully stared out the window across the hall from them. Lenalee was certain he was about to say something else, but his eye narrowed instead. “Wait a… What _is_ that…?”

Lenalee followed his gaze. In the distance, there was almost like a dark cloud. But it was moving in too fast to be a storm.

Then the sirens went off, and the PA system crackled to life. “Attention! Akuma sighted! All exorcists get into position! The Millennium Earl is launching his attack! I repeat, Akuma—”

Lavi activated his hammer with a twirl. “Lenalee, can you get to the safe room by yourself?”

“Yeah. Be careful.”

He grinned. “Always am.”

People rushed past her as she waddled down the hall, cursing internally. Why did the Earl have to pick _now_? Why not months ago, when she could still fight? Or in a few weeks after she’d given birth and recovered? Right now, she was useless. No, worse than useless. She couldn’t even get herself to the saferoom without Johnny stopping to help hurry her along.

The wall before them smashed open, narrowly missing the pair as a couple Level Two Akuma climbed over the wreckage. Their eyes lit up in delight at the sight of them. Particularly Lenalee. “Neh, neh, think she’ll pop if I squeeze her hard enough?”

“No way! I wanna kill her! I’m closer to leveling up, and she might count as two if I rip the baby outta her first!”

Lenalee activated her Dark Boots, but she knew she couldn’t fight like this. Her Innocence’s special abilities required too much movement, and while she might be able to handle a Level One, this group too powerful even if they never would have given her trouble before.

Still, when one approached, gleefully proclaiming that he would take out the four-eyes while the others fought for the exorcist, she lashed out, creating a small whirlwind that knocked it back.

“Wow, you can’t even handle a pregnant woman?”

“M-Master Noah!”

The person who watched in mild amusement from the hole in the wall was none other than Wisely. He waved a hand in a shooing motion. “Go on, find some weaklings or something. I’ll take care of the exorcist and her little friend.”

“But Master Wisely—” His expression darkened, and the three Akuma flinched. “Y-yes, sir!” And they bolted.

Wisely watched them go, then gestured with his thumb in the direction they were originally headed. “You’ll run into Sheril if you keep going that way.”

“W-why are you helping us?”

The Noah of Wisdom had been watching Lenalee, but at the question, he spared a glance for Johnny. “Because my predecessor made a promise I intend to keep. Now get going before more Akuma show up.”

Lenalee nodded and grabbed Johnny’s arm. And though it felt so wrong to do so, she called over her shoulder, “Thank you!” as they ducked down a side passage.

Chaos reigned as Lenalee skirted battle after battle with Johnny leading the way. Krory was fighting a horde of Level Three, his crystalline claws flashing red with each slash he took. Lavi she saw fighting off Jasdevi while Kanda hacked and slashed at an unfamiliar woman that must have been the new Noah of Wrath, and she ached to help them both even as Johnny kept them moving toward safety.

“Over here!” called her brother when their goal was in sight. The heavy metal doors that would protect them and Hevlaska from the invasion hadn’t been sealed shut yet. _Why_ hadn’t they sealed it? Though she knew the answer. Komui wouldn’t leave her behind no matter what.

The doors slammed shut behind the pair of stragglers as they crossed the threshold, sending the room to darkness only lit by the faint glow of Hevlaska’s body within the cube and a few sconces on the walls. A gate stood ready, placed there the day before by Nea to take them to the Asian branch should Headquarters fall. Already, those deemed too important or too injured were being evacuated.

Komui took Lenalee’s arm. “It’s not safe for you here. Take the cube and go on ahead. I’ll join you shortly once I know everyone else is—”

“I can still fight.” She pulled away. “I can’t do much, but I can at least buy time for everyone else should the Noah or Akuma break through.”

“But—”

“No buts.” Lenalee did her best to smile. “I’m still an exorcist. Now go.” She gave her brother a shove toward the crowd huddled around their only exit.

She watched him go, wishing she could join him but knowing her place was here. Something in her gut told her she had to stay behind, and for a moment, she wondered if this was a message from the Innocence within her unborn child. But why? What was so important that she had to stay—

_BOOM._

Lenalee flinched at the sound reverberating through the room.

_BOOM._

Slowly, she turned to face the doors, as did everyone else. Her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of them dented, blown in by some force.

_BOOM._

_CRASH!_

The doors flew off their hinges, smashing into the stone floor and sliding with a screech. There the Millennium Earl stood, an impossibly huge grin plastered on his face. “My, my, my,” he said, his friendly tone belying the malice in his eyes, “what a party you have here!”

He lifted his broadsword as if its weight were nothing to him. “Too bad I’ll have to end it so soon.”

Lenalee activated her Innocence once more. There was nothing she could do against the Earl, but she could hold him up until Allen or Nea got here.

The masklike face darkened. “Oho? You plan to stand against me? A brave woman, aren’t you.” With impossible speed, he leapt at her, sword ready to strike her down.

The blow never came. Instead, a loud _clang_ resounded as Allen dove between them and blocked the blade with his own. She couldn’t tell if it was Allen or Nea who spoke, “I’m your opponent, Millennium Earl.”

The grin broadened even as the Earl’s tone turned harsh. “Ah, I should have killed you all those years ago, _brat._ ”

Allen knocked the Earl and his sword back and pressed his advantage, swinging and parrying blow after blow. Johnny grabbed Lenalee’s arm and hauled her away from the battle toward the gate.

“No! I have to help!” She tried to free herself, but Johnny held firm. When had he gotten so strong?

“There’s nothing you can do!” Johnny shot back, steering her toward the gate.

Another _clang_ rang out, followed by a clatter. Lenalee whirled to see Allen, disarmed, with the Earl’s fingers clamped firmly around his throat. “No…” He might as well have been squeezing the breath from Lenalee’s lungs, too. She couldn’t breathe as she watched her nightmares came true. The Earl’s other hand seemed to elongate into dagger-sharp tendrils. They pierced Allen’s body.

Then the Millennium Earl let out a cry as Allen’s sword sank into his back, piercing straight through into Allen’s heart as well.

Someone screamed, and dimly, Lenalee realized the sound tore from her own lips as she stumbled forward out of Johnny's loosened grip. Allen would be okay, wouldn’t he? His blade didn’t harm humans. It exorcized evil. _But it’s harmed him in the past_.

She shook the thought from her head as Allen reached his hand for his sword’s hilt. “Goodbye, Earl,” he choked out. “Now give Mana _back_.”

The sword arced through the air as he pulled it free, and the Earl’s massive body seemed to split like a doll cut at the seams. Where once the Millennium Earl stood, two forms fell. One, a middle-aged man wearing the same tan suit and striped pants as the Earl himself, and the other, a teenager about her own age, naked as the day he was born.

Allen staggered backward away from Lenalee. Crown Clown vanished and the sword returned to its normal arm form. Her feet carried her toward him. Something was wrong. He was clutching at his head, fingers tangling with his snow-white locks. Shadows rose from his body like steam, and with a jolt of fear, she realized that darkness was staining his skin, making him look more like the Noah with each passing second. Cross-shaped cuts opened on his forehead gushing inhumanly black blood.

And the shrieks of pain and anguish that issued from Allen's throat made Lenalee stop in her tracks. “A-Allen?” She forced herself to take one step, then two, toward him.

When he raised his head, neither silver nor gold greeted her. His eyes were black, inky pools of darkness that bored into her. And then a terrifying parody of a smile curled his lips.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” he all but sang, and warning bells went off somewhere in Lenalee’s mind. He took a lurching step toward her, and she a hurried step back, some primordial fear urging her to put as much space as possible between her and the man before her. “An exorcist about to pop, hmm? Quite the sight to behold. I wonder… if I ripped that baby from your womb, would you create an Akuma of it?” He paused in his approach, cocked his head, and tapped his chin. “ _Could_ you create an Akuma of a newborn? Would it be strong enough to power the Akuma I wonder? Hmmm?

“Well, I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” And he lunged for her.

Someone swept her off her feet and whisked her away to the far side of the room. When she stared up at her savior, she found the baffled face of Tyki Mikk. “What’s going on?” he asked her. “Why’s the card shark attacking you?”

“I-I don’t know,” she stammered as he set her back on her feet. “He was fighting the Earl and—”

“Ah, Joyd, perfect timing,” cooed _whatever_ was inside Allen. “That girl. Be a dear and tear that child from her womb, won’t you?”

Tyki’s eyes widened. His arms shook as if holding something back with great effort. “Girl,” he hissed out in pain, and she realized with a start that the strange tentacles she’d seen on the Ark were sprouting from him once more, “ _run._ ”

She scrambled away as fast as she could, but there was only so much she could do in her condition. Still, she managed to get far enough away for Lavi to slam into Tyki, batting him aside with his hammer like it was no effort at all.

“You okay, Lena?” he asked, not looking at her as he spun to face Allen. “What’s going on?”

“The Noah’s memories have him.”

Lavi kept his eye trained on Allen while Lenalee glanced toward the source of the sound. The dark-haired teen gritted his teeth as he struggled to his feet. He didn’t seem to notice or care that he had no clothes, though she supposed with Allen acting strangely, they had better things to worry about.

“What do you mean?”

“ _That,_ ” he spat out, “is the _fucking Earl._ ”

That pronouncement made Lenalee’s blood run cold. “B-but Nea was supposed to—”

The male grimaced. “I _know_ what I was supposed to do,” he snarled. “Allen fucked it up.”

 _What?_ Lenalee stared at him with new eyes. This was Nea? Was this what he actually looked like? “But how?”

“Hell if I know. Just know that we’re screwed if we don’t snap him out of that.”

“Are you quite finished?” Allen—no, the _Millennium Earl_ asked, striding toward them. “Joyd, take care of the Bookman. I’ll handle the rest.” He lifted a hand, and dark matter crackled to life in his palm.

Tyki’s whole body spasmed where he lay on the ground, and when he got to his feet, the _monster_ they had met on the Ark stood in his place, teeth glinting in a snarl as he lunged for Lavi.

“Shit!” Lavi cursed, bringing his hammer down to try and bat the Noah away. The tentacles caught the handle and ripped his weapon from his hands. Another tentacle slammed into Nea, throwing him across the room to land with an _oof_ on the stone floor.

Lenalee kicked out, sending out a whirlwind. It did nothing to stop either Noah as Tyki rained blow after blow upon Lavi and the Earl swatted the magical attack away like it was nothing. “Feisty, aren’t we?”

She tried to back away, but he was too quick. In an instant, his hand was around her neck. “Tell me,” the Earl purred in Allen’s voice as his grip tightened, “if I killed you, would anyone miss you? I’d _love_ to make an Akuma from an exorcist. Just _imagine_ how strong it would be.” He cackled.

Spots danced across her vision as she gasped for air. “A-Allen,” she managed, her fingers closing around his wrist.

“Ah, is _that_ this one’s name?” The Earl’s face was inches from her own. She could feel his breath on his face. “I suppose there’s worse, though I’ve always preferred _Adam_.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “S-stop. Please.”

“Why should I listen to—?” A single tear of blood ran down his cheek from his cursed eye.

He stopped, and his grip loosened. “ _What?!_ ”

Lenalee gasped for breath as she dropped like a stone to the floor. She stared up, watching as the Innocence in Allen’s left hand flared to life. The feathery white mantle settled around his shoulders, the sleeve and glove tightening around his right arm. Strips of white wrapped around his midsection and legs.

The masquerade mask settled over the Earl’s eyes, and Allen’s body went rigid, as if pulled by the Innocence that bound him. With a grunt, Nea pushed himself to his knees and shouted, “Damn it, Allen, finish this!”

The human arm shook as it gripped his left wrist and summoned forth Allen’s exorcism blade. The Earl snarled as the hand turned the weapon upon himself with surprising dexterity. “You can’t do this! I am the Millennium Ea—"

But the sword rammed through his heart, stopping him mid shout.

Someone—Komui, she realized—helped Lenalee to her feet even as she tried to reach for Allen. She struggled against his hold and heard something crack.

If she had looked, Lenalee would have seen her boots, still activated, crumble. Had she turned her head, she’d have seen Tyki, or Joyd, or whatever _that monster_ was drop to all fours, the shadows dissolving as he tore at the helmet that adorned his head. Instead, she could only watch as Allen's knees buckled, his sword fracturing into many motes of light. The cape of Crown Clown vanished in a flurry of white feathers as he keeled forward.

“ _Allen!_ ” she screamed, pushing away from her brother and hobbling to his side. Lenalee turned him over, felt for his pulse. His heartbeat was still strong, his lungs still pulled in air, though he was pale as death. Crimson still dripped from the cross-shaped wounds on his forehead, but the bleeding was subsiding.

He was hurt, but he was alive. Lenalee choked back a sob. They all were.


	13. A Peaceful? Interlude

Three days, and still Allen showed no signs of waking up. During that time, Lenalee found any number of excuses to stop by the infirmary to see him. Not that it was difficult. Though no one died, few had escaped harm and so almost all the beds were filled. Lavi had three fractures from his final fight with Tyki alone, and his wasn’t even the worst injury among them. Krory was suffering an extreme bout of anemia after his battle with the Akuma, for the blood he drank had broken down with the Akuma and the Innocence. Kanda, too, had lost a lot of blood, and the only reason he wasn’t dead was that his seal just _barely_ nudged him from death’s door.

A few of the Noah, too, found their way into the Order’s medical wing, though they were kept under lock and key in a separate room guarded by CROWs (as were the “perfectly healthy” ones in a separate space). The only former Noah allowed out and about was Nea, though his steps were persistently dogged by Howard Link, much to his annoyance.

“Seriously, how do I get rid of him?” he asked Lenalee on the third day after the battle, gesturing at his human shadow.

She glanced at Link, noted the frown, and said, “You should just accept it for now.”

“Can’t you throw your weight around? He always gives in when _you_ ask him stuff.”

Lenalee tried not to laugh, even as Link’s frown deepened. “That’s because I was guilting him about _Allen_. I have no say with you.”

“Can’t you lie and say I’m the father or something?”

“It hurts your case when you say that _right in front of me_ ,” pointed out the inspector.

“Then forget I said it!”

This time, she couldn’t stop the laughter. “Do you want my brother to send a Komurin after you? Because this is how you get Komurins after you.”

Nea blanched at the thought. “I’ll be good.”

They arrived at the infirmary, where Komui and Reever were just stepping out, arms loaded with sheets of paper. At the sight of his sister, Komui dropped his stack on top of Reever’s and flung himself at his sister.

“Lenalee! How are you feeling? Do you need me to—”

“I’m fine,” Lenalee interrupted as she slipped free of his embrace and took some of the papers from Reever. They looked like measurements and schematics. “What’s all of this for?”

Komui hurried to take the stack back from her. “Well, there were quite a few injuries that resulted in loss of limbs or movement,” he explained. “We’re looking into ways the science section could help.”

“Like with Allen’s arm?”

He nodded and showed her a diagram of the robotic limb. “We’ve got a prototype put together, but the surgeons said we need to wait for him to regain consciousness before it’s safe to do much else.”

Lenalee’s heart sank. Then he hadn’t woken up yet. Sensing her disappointment, Komui dumped the papers back onto Reever’s stack—much to the science section chief’s irritation—and patted her head. “I’m sure he’ll be awake soon. He’ll get hungry eventually.”

“We could always open a bottle of whiskey near him,” Nea suggested with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Link, having learned from Cross’s handling of Nea, just grabbed his charge by the back of his shirt collar and hauled him away to where he’d cause fewer problems, even as he protested the rough treatment. That left Lenalee to visit everyone alone. She didn’t mind his company exactly, but some things were easier without him following.

“Hey Mama Lena,” Lavi called when Lenalee entered, waving his not broken arm. “Up to anything new?”

Lenalee took her usual spot in the chair at Lavi’s bedside—which also happened to be right next to Allen’s. “Not really. Just making coffee for everyone while they clean up or fill out incident reports.”

Lavi cocked an eyebrow. “Seriously? They’re gonna shut the Order down once everything’s settled, right? Why bother with the paperwork?”

“The folks from Central need to feel like they’re doing something, I guess.”

“Gotta keep their phony baloney jobs as long as possible, huh?” He glanced around. “Where’s Nea? Thought for sure he’d be trying to ditch Two-Spot again.”

“He was, but he started suggesting ways to mess with Allen. Link wasn’t too happy about that.”

“Oh? What was he plotting?”

“He wanted to use whiskey to wake him up.”

“You know, I’m really starting to like Chibi-chan.”

“You _do_ realize he’s taller than you now.”

“He’ll always be Chibi-chan in my book.” Lavi pushed back his blankets. “Hey, mind joining me for a cafeteria run? The Head Nurse won’t let me out without supervision, and the food here kinda sucks.”

Lenalee glanced at the still catatonic Allen. Some color had returned to his cheeks, and though the bandages around his forehead hid them from view, she knew the stigmata was healing up as well. “Sure. I think I’ll bring something back for Allen too. Just in case he wakes up.”

“And if he doesn’t, I’m sure we can find some takers. Right, Krorykins?” He waved to the former vampire in question.

As they walked down the hall, Lavi happily prattled on about this and that. They were working on dental implants for Krory, Komui’d just measured Allen for a new arm, Kanda was threatening everyone and anyone who came within six feet of him, the usual. Lenalee nodded and occasionally replied when conversation warranted it, but for the most part, her mind was elsewhere.

Realizing this, Lavi said, “Hey, Lena?” and when she turned her head, he poked her cheek. “Got something on your mind?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” she said quickly, blushing at being caught distracted.

“Worried about the baby? You’re due soon, right?”

“Any day now, but no. I mean, a little, but that’s not what I’m thinking about right now.”

They waited for a group with wheelbarrows of rubble to pass, then continued on their way. “Anything I can help with?”

Lenalee shrugged. “It’s just… Well, you know that Innocence that was in me before?”

“The one that,” and he made air quotes as he said it, “ _made you pregnant_ , right? Yeah, got the real story from Komui for Bookman’s records. What about it?”

“Well, it told me that it would affect how the battle went, but I don’t see how it did anything other than get in my way.”

“Kept the Earl distracted until Allen was able to take back control, didn’t it?”

That was true, but that couldn’t be all there was to it. The Millennium Earl had been weirdly focused on her because she was an exorcist, and once Lavi showed up, he sent Tyki after him so he himself could take out the easy target. “There has to be more to it than that. I wouldn’t have needed to be with child for that.”

“What, regretting your life choices?”

“No, just… I hate feeling like there’s something I should know but don’t.” She turned to him, remembering something. “Before everything happened, you were going to tell me something, weren’t you? Did it have something to do with all this?”

Lavi looked like he wanted to dodge the question but thought better of it. “Yeah, I was, but this is secret Bookman stuff. Don’t let the old Panda find out I told ya when he gets back, okay?”

She nodded and let him usher her into an office that was currently unoccupied and used for storage. Lavi leaned against the desk while Lenalee took the dusty chair.

“Right so… I don’t know everything ‘cause I’m still technically an apprentice and Gramps’ll pass that stuff on when he thinks I’m ready, but the long ‘n short of it is that the Millennium Earl’s a parasite that latches onto a human host, a lot like the memories of Noah. Only difference is that the Earl does something to the host and makes it so they don’t get any older. Following me so far?”

Lenalee tilted her head. “I think so… but what does that have to do with me?”

“I’m getting there. So, anyway, it’s kinda like how Allen and Nea were until Allen pulled whatever voodoo he did to split the Earl back up. But normally the Earl’s in charge.” He held up a finger. “With one exception.

“The original members of the Noah Clan were all the first host’s family, either his kids or by marriage to those kids. Meaning Adam, the Millennium Earl, had a wife or lover at some point. Her name’s lost to history, so we just call her ‘Eve.’ Ya know, since he was ‘Adam’? Anywho, we also use that as a kind of… nickname for later lovers the Earl’s host took on over the millennia and had children with.”

 _Wait a minute…_ She wasn’t sure she liked where this was going. “That doesn’t make _me_ an Eve, does it?”

Lavi scratched the back of his head. “Sorta? I mean, Allen wasn’t the Earl at the time and neither was Chibi-chan. I just figured that when he became the new host, you’d be his Eve-by-proxy since he was sharing Allen’s body.”

“I still don’t understand how this was supposed to help the situation.”

He made a thoughtful noise. “Well, the Earl’s all about connections, right? His Noah family, the bonds he uses to create Akuma, that kind of thing. When you think about it, kids are like a physical manifestation of a bond, for better or worse. In the case of the Earl’s host, that meant the human side won out long enough for him to pursue a human woman, and as a result, ‘Eve’ held some sway with him.

“My guess is, when the Earl took over Allen, he realized what you were to him and tried to kill ya off before you helped Allen get in control again. That backfired spectacularly ‘cause this is _Allen_ we’re talking ‘bout, and here we are.”

Lenalee placed a shaky hand over her stomach. Lavi gave her an easy smile. “Just goes to show that Allen must _really_ care about ya if he killed an unkillable monster to protect ya.” The grin fell away, and he said, a little more soberly, “Sorry. Guess this stuff’s pretty freaky. I shouldn’t’ve said anything.”

She shook her head. “No, I… thanks. I needed to know.” She got back to her feet and did her best to smile. “So… cafeteria?”

* * *

By the time they returned to the infirmary, the sun was beginning to set, casting the large room in a warm, golden light. Lavi dropped a tray of soba noodles off on Kanda’s bedside table, and Lenalee took her spot at Allen’s side. As expected, he was still asleep.

“I brought some mitarashi dango,” she told him, though she wasn’t sure he could hear. When he didn’t respond, she sighed and nibbled on one of the confections herself. It was worth a try.

Kanda scowled as he picked up his chopsticks. Lenalee had been upset for far too long, and if confronted later he would swear the only reason he spoke up was because it made his meal taste bad. No other reason. At all. “Oi, Bean Sprout!” he barked at the unconscious Allen. “You’ve slept long enough!”

“Yuu-chan, that’s not gonna—”

“…It’s Allen.”

All heads swiveled to the prone figure, Lavi’s so quick that his neck popped. Despite how long he’d been asleep, Allen still looked exhausted. Even so, he still had the energy to glare at Kanda.

Sensing a fight brewing even if the two combatants had no strength left for it, Lenalee held up the plate of dango. “I brought food.”

Allen’s face lit up at the sight of his beloved snack, and he tried to push himself up. Only to fall to the side when his missing left hand failed to make contact with the bedding. He did his best to pretend this didn’t bother him, smiling and giving a self-deprecating laugh as he tried again with more success. “I don’t really remember what happened after Nea and I beat the Millennium Earl,” he confessed. “Did my Innocence break after that?”

Lavi and Lenalee exchanged glances, and the junior Bookman said, “They all did. You stabbed the Earl and _bam_ , dusted. Same with the Akuma.”

“What about the Noah?”

“All boring humans now,” said Nea from the doorway, an annoyed Howard Link in tow. “Not that I’ve seen them. A certain _someone_ ,” and he shot a glare at the CROW, “won’t let me.”

Professional as ever, Link replied, “You’re only interested in the former Earl, and no one’s allowed in his cell. Even if he were awake—”

Allen had been staring uncomprehendingly at Nea, but at those words, his focus instantly darted to his former watchdog. “You have him locked up?!”

“All the Noah are, save yours truly.” Nea went to pinch one of the dango skewers, and Lenalee swatted his hand away. He gave her a sour look but retreated for now. “Guess I get out on good behavior.”

“Good behavior my ass,” groused Kanda.

Nea stuck his tongue out rather childishly. “You’re just jealous I can walk around and you’re trapped in the infirmary.”

Kanda’s eye twitched. “Seems to me that tongue of yours is too long. Maybe I should shorten it for you.”

“Break it up you two,” Lenalee said with a sigh. “Nea, did you need something, or did you just come to cause trouble?”

“Oh, I wanted to see if I could sneak in to see Ma—the former Earl, but Link caught me, and I decided to grace you all with my presence instead.” He grinned and this time successfully snatched a skewer from Allen’s plate. “So,” he said around a mouthful of dango, “any chance you can get me in to see him, Lenalee?”

“No,” both Lenalee and Link replied simultaneously in identically flat tones.

He popped another of the sticky confections in his mouth. “Aw, come on, you could pretend to go into labor and freak the guards out while Allen and I sneak in. What do you say?”

Link pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn’t the first Nea-induced migraine of the day, judging from his expression. “Again, it might be more effective if you _didn’t inform me of your plans ahead of time._ ”

Nea tilted his head, feigning total confusion. “I guess I forget you’re here. You’re just like furniture for some reason.”

Allen snorted and nearly choked on his dango.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I need a better blurb for this fic... It's not wrong, but I don't think it's as accurate to the tone as it could be. ^^;;;


	14. A Growing Family

A week passed, and then another. Lenalee kept up her duties. She made coffee for the dwindling crowd of scientists who become more and more overworked with each person that retired to at last return to their families. She helped Jerry in the kitchen making food for the shorter and shorter lines in the cafeteria.

She even helped Bridget keep Komui on task, though his mind wandered worse than ever as Lenalee’s due date passed them by. Rather than work, he busied himself with finding new ways to help, which was sweet since Lenalee was getting beyond impatient, but she wished he wouldn’t keep making things more difficult for everyone else.

“I read that eating spicy things can bring on labor,” he said, offering her a jar of kimchi.

Lenalee glanced up at him from the paperwork she was sorting out for him and Bridget. “Ah, Jerry already suggested that.” She went back to the papers. “All it did was give me indigestion. And before you go too crazy, I’ve already tried pineapple and Bak’s brought me at least three kinds of herbal tea that were supposed to help.”

There was one other thing she’d heard from a certain eyepatch wearing individual as well, though she wasn’t about to tell Komui. He didn’t have to know what she and Allen were up to in the privacy of her room now that Link no longer watched him like a hawk.

She squirmed as Allen trailed kisses up her inner thigh. His tongue lapped along her entrance, tasting her before he sucked at her clit. Her fingers dug into his scalp as wave after wave of pleasure thrummed through her with each lick and teasing slurp. Already she was coming undone from his tongue alone.

“Please, Allen,” she begged. “I want you inside me.”

He blushed furiously as he drew back. “A-are you sure?” It hadn’t been hard to sell him on intimacy once his strength returned post-surgery, but he’d been hesitant about penetration even with her assuring him that it was fine.

To that end, Lenalee placed both hands on his cheeks and pulled him into a passionate, desperate, sloppy kiss. She ached for more. _God_ did she want him inside her, making love as they had before. When they parted, Allen’s face was an even deeper shade of scarlet.

“ _Please_?”

She didn’t have to ask again. He laid back and helped her sink down on him, biting back the sound that threatened to spill past his lips. Lenalee barely gave them time to adjust before she started moving, determined to ride them both into oblivion. She gasped, groaned, rolled her hips, anything to send them over the edge before someone inevitably came to interrupt.

Allen matched her pace, thrusting up to meet each of her downstrokes. “Nngh, Lenalee, I’m getting close. S-slow down.” He gasped out the last part, squeezing his eyes shut.

Lenalee obliged. Her movements slackened, and she took the chance to catch her breath. It wasn't long before she felt his cock twitch inside her, and giving Allen a playful smile, she raised herself slowly before plunging down again. This time, it was Allen’s turn to fidget as she teased his length.

His hands found her hips, and he pulled her into a thrust. Taking the hint, she moved with abandon once more. Gasping and biting back moans, they moved together, both wishing to find sweet release but also wanting to hold back for the other.

When his fingers found that bundle of nerves, Lenalee cried out more loudly than she ever intended and unraveled. Allen threw his head back, groaning, as he too let himself tip over the edge with her.

Unsteadily, Lenalee dismounted and let Allen help her lay down beside him. She snuggled into his chest, knowing they ought to clean themselves up but unable to find the energy to do so.

“Well?” Allen asked when he’d caught his breath enough to get the word out.

“Nothing yet.” But she flashed a tiny tired smile at him. “I think we should try it a few more times before we give up on it.” He laughed before letting his lips find hers.

* * *

By the week-and-a-half-past mark, Lenalee was out of ideas and asking the Head Nurse.

“Give it another few days, and if you still haven’t gone into labor, I can give you something to induce. It’s better to let this kind of thing happen on its own if you can.”

At least she had something new to distract her. By the next day, nearly four weeks after the battle, Central finally determined that the Noah were no longer a threat. This meant that Nea, finally free of his escort, and Allen could talk with the person they once knew as the Millennium Earl. Allen had asked her to join them for some reason, much to Nea’s annoyance.

“You can introduce your girlfriend _later_ ,” he griped as they headed to the room the Order moved the Earl to.

Which led to the question at the forefront of Lenalee’s mind, “Why do you want to introduce me to him anyway?”

“Er, well…” Allen was sweating bullets. “You see… um…”

Nea cut to the chase. “He’s Mana D. Campbell, AKA Mana Walker, AKA Allen’s foster father.”

Lenalee stopped short. It took a minute to process what she’d just learned, and even when she had, she was very, _very_ confused. “But I thought your father passed away?”

“The Earl faked Mana’s death somehow. No idea how he did it.” Nea shrugged. “Anyway, are you _sure_ you want to introduce him to Lenalee when he probably doesn’t remember you? They said his memory was like swiss cheese right now.”

Allen gave a small, bitter smile. “Even if he doesn’t, I still want to. He _did_ raise me after all.”

Lenalee was about to make an excuse to give them their privacy, but the door opened and Komui stepped out. He blinked at the trio in surprise, then broke out into a grin. “Just the person I wanted to see,” he said, closing the door behind him. “I was speaking with Lord Campbell, and he had an _interesting_ request. It seems he’s lost his son, one _Allen Walker_ , and asked us to try and find him. Said he gets lost _very_ easily.”

Nea gaped at Komui a moment, then burst out laughing as he clapped Allen on the back. “Hear that? You’re a lost little kid.”

Allen shot Nea a glare, but there wasn’t much tooth to it. He turned to the chief and asked, “Did he say anything else?”

Komui hesitated a moment. “Yes. He described you as about yay tall,” he motioned with his hand the height of a small child, “with red hair and a grumpy outlook on life. I tried to explain to him that he’s been gone a few years, but I’m not sure how much got through to him.”

“All right. Thank you for telling me.” Allen gave a quick nod before knocking on the door and letting himself inside. Nea gave Lenalee a little nudge to follow.

The room was on the larger side for the Order, with a simple bed, a writing desk, and a small coffee table with cushioned chairs. It was a spare bedroom meant for higher ups from the Vatican, but it seemed someone, possibly Bridget, had decided Mana D. Campbell deserved better accommodations to match his status as a real earl. Particularly after having kept him locked in a cell for so long.

The man himself wore an easy-going smile as he looked them over, but uncertainty muddled his features slightly. “Ah, hello.” He stood and offered a hand for one of them to shake. He cocked his head though as he stared at Nea. “Have we met? I’m afraid I’m bad with faces, but you look so familiar…”

Nea rolled his eyes, and rather than take the hand, he flicked Mana Campbell’s forehead. The man let out a yelp and slapped a hand dramatically over the minor injury. “Seriously? You don’t recognize your own twin?”

Mana’s mouth fell open. “Nea? Is that you? But look at you! You’re so young!” He frowned; his brow scrunched. “I thought for sure you’d be old and gray like me. Why _am_ I so old, anyway? I just woke up one day and—”

“Some other time, weirdo,” Nea interjected. He jabbed his thumb back toward Allen. “Komui said you were looking for Allen?”

The earl’s gaze shifted to the former exorcist. His brow furrowed again. Then, a spark of recognition. “Allen? Is that really you?” Far more agile than Lenalee expected of a man his age, Mana bounded over and took Allen by the shoulders. “You’ve grown! And your hair! It’s all white now, like snow!” Then his eyes fell on the glint of Allen’s new metal hand. “Oh, but what happened to your arm? I know you didn’t like it, but you didn’t have to get rid of it. It’s what made you so special.”

A genuine grin graced Allen’s lips. “A lot has happened while you were away.”

“I can see that,” Mana agreed with a jolly laugh. He then asked in a tone that made it hard for Lenalee to tell if he was joking or serious, “Did the Fair Folk whisk you away, my boy? Or maybe they grabbed us both, hm? I hear they like clowns.”

Judging by Allen’s reaction, it was meant to be silly. He just chuckled and shook his head. “Some things don’t change. Still weird as ever.”

Mana beamed at his son as if he’d just received the biggest and best compliment of his life, and still smiling broadly, he turned to Lenalee. “Now _you_ I know I haven’t met. It’s a pleasure, Miss… er… Mrs...?”

“Lenalee Lee,” she said.

Heat creeped into her cheeks as he bowed and kissed the back of her hand. “A pleasure, Mrs. Lee.”

“Miss,” she corrected automatically. Then flushed deeper. Oh God, what would he think of her, obviously pregnant and not married? Even if the child _was_ his son’s, he was an earl, and this was hardly proper behavior.

But he just gave an amiable smile. “Miss Lee, then.” He didn’t seem even a little bothered by her, nor her correction. In fact, he hadn’t spared a single glance for her distended belly. At least, not until she placed a hand to her lower back. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. My back has just been bothering me more than usual today. That’s all.”

He nodded and guided her to one of the cushioned chairs. “Here, have a seat. I should have offered sooner.” She sank into it gratefully.

They talked a while over tea and biscuits, and Lenalee began to understand why Allen was the way he was. His father, charming and above all kind, was also forgetful, and Allen quickly fell back into old habits, quietly correcting Mana when he slipped up on the name of a person or place without batting an eye. It was hard to believe that this polite and affable man had until a few weeks ago been their greatest enemy. Though, remembering Lavi’s explanation, maybe it wasn’t as hard to believe as she first thought.

Even as they talked, he seemed to keep a close eye on Lenalee. Not to the point of hovering like her brother so often did, but he seemed to notice every time her back gave a twinge and offered her an extra pillow or the like. He also didn’t seem the least bit surprised when a sharp pain lancing through her from her lower back down into her groin made her cry out and double-over.

Instead, he was on his feet in an instant and began rubbing comforting circles against her back. “Allen, Nea, could one of you get a doctor?”

Allen’s cup slipped from his hands and fell with a dull thunk onto the rug. “Lenalee? What’s wrong? Are you—?”

The pain subsided to a dull throb. “She’s going into labor,” Mana explained, helping her to her feet. “How far is the infirmary from here?”

“Not far,” Allen replied. He pulled Timcanpy from where it had been napping in his pocket. “Tim, go tell the Head Nurse we’re on our way.” Turning to Lenalee, he asked, “Do you think you can walk? Or…”

“I can walk. I think. I’ll be okay.”

Mana nodded and passed her gingerly to Allen. “One of us should tell her brother—”

Lenalee grimaced. “No, I’d rather he not know yet. He can be a bit… well…”

The earl nodded in understanding. “All right. Nea, could you act as a distraction then instead?”

His brother gave an exaggerated bow. “But of course. I was born for this.” Nea gave Lenalee a wink before disappearing out the door.

“Right,” Mana said, returning his attention to Lenalee. “Let’s get you to the medical wing so you can get comfortable. You’re doing great so far.”

The words rang a little hollow as they made their way down the hall, stopping once or twice as another wave of pain jolted through her. The baby had shifted lower weeks ago, but now she could feel her moving again, pressing against something in her abdomen until it gave way. Warm fluid trickled down her legs and dampened her skirt, and Lenalee gave a little whimper as her grip on Allen’s forearm tightened, too terrified to look even if she'd been able to for fear she might find blood.

“It’s all right,” Mana said, voice even and soothing. “Your water broke. It just means your body’s getting ready for the delivery.”

The Head Nurse met them halfway with a wheelchair. Timcanpy nestled in Lenalee’s hair as they got her settled, giving her encouraging little pats on the head with its tail and nubby arm. Just as the nurse was about to wheel her away, Lenalee cried, “Wait!” She threw a pleading glance at Allen. “I-I want Allen to come too.”

“You’ll be fine,” the Head Nurse reassured her. “Yours isn’t the first baby I’ve delivered, and it would be imprudent to have a male colleague in the delivery room.”

Another contraction. Lenalee bit her lip to keep from crying out. It _hurt_. Why had she tried to make this happen sooner? “H-he’s not _just_ a colleague,” she declared, tears pricking her eyes even as the pain subsided. “Please. I…”

Seeing her distress, Mana pulled the nurse aside and whispered something in her ear. She showed no reaction to whatever he told her, but she relented. “Very well. He may stay until it’s time, but then I insist he leave once you’re ready.”

Relieved, Lenalee tried to get comfortable as the nurse steered her down the hall, Allen following close behind. As they went, the nurse fired question after question in rapid succession, and Lenalee was grateful for the distraction. When did her contractions start? How far apart did she think they were now? How long were they lasting? What were they feeling like? Lenalee did her best to answer, though each stab of pain knocked the wind out of her, and they were only getting more persistent and intense. When Lenalee couldn’t, Allen tried to respond for her.

“It sounds like you’re just getting into the active phase,” the nurse reported as they reached the infirmary. She helped Lenalee up and into one of the private rooms. “You’re doing well. It sounds like you didn’t even realize you were going into labor until you were mostly through the latent stage.”

Allen earned odd looks from the doctor and other nurse when he entered too, but the Head Nurse gave by way of explanation, “He’s only staying to help until she’s ready to deliver.”

Lenalee was glad to have him there. They wanted her to keep moving around if she could, and being able to lean on Allen was a blessing. Especially when the pain threatened make her knees buckle. He also sat with her, letting her squeeze his hand when the Head Nurse needed to check her progress.

Hours passed like this, and by the end, Lenalee wanted nothing more than to cry into Allen’s shoulder and have it all end. She was shaking, and the tremors just wouldn’t _stop._ Nor would the pain. The contractions were hitting harder than ever now and came on one after another, almost on top of each other.

Then the pressure inside her shifted. Lenalee tried to gulp down air as she clung to Allen, feeling the baby pressing down.

“Don’t start pushing yet,” the Head Nurse instructed before turning her attention to Allen. “It’s time for you to go.”

Allen faltered when Lenalee’s grip on him tightened, but when the nurse made a shooing motion, he gave her a half-hug and a squeeze. He offered his hand to golem that had stayed rooted to Lenalee’s scalp throughout the ordeal, and reluctantly, it exchanged its perch for his fingers as he left.

Minute after agonizing minute ticked by, and the other nurse took Allen’s place coaxing her along. “Deep breaths. You’re doing great. Just hold on a little longer, and you’ll be able to start pushing.”

It felt like forever before the Head Nurse gave her the go ahead. By then, Lenalee felt ready to pass out, but it was a relief to finally do something. At least, it was until the burning below grew too much for her to handle quietly.

The scream that left her felt good, even if she struggled to catch her breath after.

“You’re almost there,” the nurse said. “Take a moment and get your breath back. She’s crowning.”

Her voice sounded so far away, but Lenalee nodded and did her best to obey. When they told her to push again, she did, though things got a little fuzzy after that. For a few minutes, there was a silence filled only with her agonized grunts and screams as something that felt far too big to be coming from inside her did just that, and then another higher pitched cry joined the chorus.

“She’s out!” the doctor announced as the Head Nurse caught the baby.

Lenalee fell back against the bed, absolutely exhausted and feeling like she’d just been ripped in two. For a few blissful minutes, she thought she was done, but no, there just _had_ to be more to suffer. Before long, she had the unpleasant sensation of more contractions and pushing another _something_ else out of her.

The nurse who’d been coaching her took away whatever it was and started cleaning her up while the doctor and Head Nurse handled a cranky, squirming little body. Lenalee watched, a little dazed, as they swaddled her baby and brought the bundle to her. Her daughter's face was scrunched up as she wailed at the rough treatment, but she soon quieted as Lenalee gently rocked her in her arms.

With the baby hushed, Lenalee then became aware of a muffled sobbing outside the infirmary in the corridor, and a couple voices trying to soothe whoever was making the racket. Knowing what was coming next when the nurse covered her lower half with fresh crisp linens, Lenalee settled in for the long haul.

“You can let me brother in now if you’re ready for him,” she said with a resigned sigh.

Komui was the first in when they opened the door, though Allen, face white as his hair, wasn’t far behind. She gave them a tired smile she hoped was reassuring and proclaimed, though she knew it wasn’t true, “I’m _never_ doing that again.”

“You don’t have to,” Allen promised.

“Good. Because I think I’d rather fight Akuma again.”

Allen tickled the baby girl’s nose, much to the sleepy infant’s delight. “Did you pick out a name?”

Lenalee let her eyelids droop. “I was thinking Anita.” _Anita Walker_ , she found herself thinking with a little smile. It had a nice ring to it.

He was quiet for a moment, perhaps having the same thought. “It suits her.” Then forgetting their audience, leaned over to press a kiss to Lenalee’s temple.

Komui’s mouth fell open at the open affection he’d shown. It was one thing when Lenalee did things like this, but Allen? He worked his jaw a moment before a single word came out, one that sounded for all the world a threat. “ _Walker!”_

Lenalee heard later from Nea that Komui had chased Allen halfway across the Order with a Komurin for that simple action, and the only thing that stopped it was when the recently recovered and still very irritated Kanda, armed with a new blade, hacked the robotic monstrosity to pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to do a lot of research for this one, so hopefully I didn't make a total fool of myself. Though Google is now 100% convinced I'm pregnant. Oh well. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> One more chapter for the epilogue, and this'll be done! Woohoo!


	15. Epilogue: Wedding Bells

One would think with how he reacted to that fateful phrase whenever someone dared utter it to wake him up, Komui would be opposed to Lenalee’s getting married. Or refuse to participate in the planning or funding or to have anything to do with it whatsoever.

Anyone who thought that would be proved wrong.

Now that it was inevitable, Komui embraced it with a zeal that put even the worst bridezillas to shame. He worked tirelessly to plan the ceremony and insisted on bigger and better _everything_. Only the best would do for his little sister.

One would also think that the man paying for it, Lord Mana D. Campbell, would have a say. They would also be wrong, but this time it was not because of Komui. Instead, the former Noah Clan’s own Sheril Kamelot ruled over everything with an iron fist, insisting that a lavish wedding was necessary as it was a union between an earl’s (former street urchin) son and said son’s (bastard’s mother and) sweetheart. If Komui knew Sheril was only after spectacle to distract from the facts of the situation, he’d have been horribly insulted on her behalf, but as it was, it suited his purposes well enough.

Unfortunately, that left Lenalee and Allen contemplating elopement to escape the insanity around them. They’d have gone through with it, too, but for the thought of their families’ disappointment. So they put their foot down when and where they could, but mostly they let the pair go nuts and used the distraction to their advantage.

It took a little while for Lenalee to recover, but as soon as the Head Nurse cleared her, Allen slept in her room more and more often. Ostensibly, Allen stayed in the baby’s room next door to “give Lenalee a break” if she needed it, but what Komui didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Tonight wasn’t too different from a lot of other nights. Once Anita had been put to bed after a long day spent with her father and grandfather, Allen slipped in through the door that joined the two rooms and into bed with Lenalee. Half-asleep and sensing warmth, Lenalee snuggled closer without opening her eyes. Though when his hand traced along her lower back, sending a pleasant little shiver down her spine, she pried them open.

“Mmm…” She sat up and rubbed her eyes. He took the opportunity to kiss along her jaw, and she responded by tilting her head away, giving him more room to work. “I think I’ve been a bad influence.”

His lips trailed up to her ear. “Sorry, should I let you sleep?”

Lenalee scrubbed the sleep away. “I wasn’t sleeping, honest.” She thought she’d just laid down for a few minutes, but when she glanced at the clock, Lenalee found an hour had passed. Well, holding back the force of nature known as Komui’s and Sheril’s combined wedding planning was exhausting enough without caring for an infant. She needed to sneak naps in when she could. Even if that did mean nodding off right after dinner.

Another shiver ran through her when he sucked lightly at the lobe of her ear. He pulled back, brushed his lips against hers. “Go back to sleep.”

Lenalee set her hand atop his on the bed. “Nope, too late. You offered.” And she captured his mouth.

Tongues met and danced. Lenalee traced her fingers along his front, undoing buttons as she found them. Allen shrugged off his shirt and found the hem of her dress.

She stayed his hand, blushing. “I… sorry. Can I keep it on tonight?”

This wasn’t an uncommon request since giving birth, and it still perplexed him. He didn’t know why she felt so self-conscious about the baby fat and the stretch marks, but as usual, he just pressed a kiss to her forehead and said, “Of course.”

Lenalee slid off her tights and panties while Allen tossed his pants aside. “Should I pull out?” he asked.

Again, she blushed but nodded. Even though the nurse had said she likely wouldn’t get pregnant again while still breast-feeding Anita, she didn’t want to risk it. Not while the memories were still fresh in her mind.

Why did the act that could create a baby have to feel so good when the finale felt so terrible? Wait, now that she thought about it, that probably answered her question.

Allen kissed away her racing thoughts. “What’s wrong?”

Lenalee blinked. “Nothing. Just… Ugh.” She pressed the heel of her hands against her eyelids. “I can’t turn my brain off tonight.”

“Was dealing with Komui and Sheril that bad?”

“You have no idea.”

“I think I can guess.” He chuckled as he sat back. “Want me to massage your back instead?”

As much as she hated to admit it, that sounded better than sex at the moment. Lenalee rolled over to stretch out on her stomach. The bed dipped as he straddled her, and then his hands began working their magic.

She breathed a contented sigh as he massaged days’ worth of stress out of her shoulders. Allen occasionally pressed a kiss to the back of her neck with each knot he found, but so tired was she that, even though she _wanted_ to, she couldn’t find the energy to be turned on. At least, not until he’d begun on her feet.

Lenalee had always assumed her feet were less sensitive than a normal person’s after years of wielding the Dark Boots. Tonight, she learned how wrong she was.

“ _Ah_!” A jolt of pleasure blindsided her as Allen pressed his thumb into the arch of her foot. They both froze, and it was difficult to tell whose face was redder from the sound that escaped her lips. Their gazes met, and Allen, still blushing furiously, experimentally pressed into that spot again.

Another cry escaped her before Lenalee could clap a hand over her mouth to stop it. Even more embarrassing, arousal flared to life within her. From a _foot rub_.

Allen’s face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. “Should I stop?”

Lenalee jerked her foot out of his hands and scrambled to face him. “I… think you should keep going.” And she kissed him again.

This time, no stray thoughts interrupted her as she pulled him down over her. Their mouths met again and again in sloppy kisses that sent a renewed tingling throughout Lenalee’s body. They adjusted, lips never leaving each other’s, and Allen’s cock filled her to the hilt in one movement.

Their lips broke apart as she moaned, and Allen took the chance to kiss along the column of her throat. Her fingers dug into his scalp, tugging at the white tresses, as she spread her legs farther. His hands found her thighs, gave a soft squeeze, and then he pulled her into his thrusts.

Lenalee attacked his lips again, feeling the familiar tightening in her core with each movement. She knew Allen was getting close. They both were. Lenalee especially. _How_ had that turned her on so much?

She threw her head back and cried out as the dam broke. Allen kissed along her jaw again, letting her ride it out a little before quickly pulling out. The loss of his cock inside her was disappointing, but Lenalee knew she’d rather lose a few seconds of pleasure than get knocked up again too soon.

Allen groaned softly when her fingers wrapped around his cock. It only took a few strokes for his seed to splash onto her belly. She tugged her dress back down and ignored the way his semen smeared against her skin as she did so. He pretended not to notice and kissed her softly but insistently instead. When they parted, he brushed back her hair and whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

Lenalee giggled and leaned in for another kiss. “You know _just_ what to say,” she teased.

“Only because it’s true.”

* * *

Only at a wedding could two people be sobbing compliments, Lenalee thought as Miranda and Komui fussed over her. Miranda she’d asked to be her bridesmaid, and Komui was to walk her down the aisle. As a result, both were waiting with her in a little room at the back of the church, making last-minute adjustments to her hair, makeup, and dress.

“You look _stunning_ ,” her brother bawled, hugging her tightly while Miranda attempted to straighten her veil.

Road, her flower girl—Sheril had insisted—rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna wrinkle her dress.” That was the right thing to say apparently, for Komui instantly released her and jumped back.

Those violet eyes turned on Miranda next, as did Lenalee’s. Both were glad they’d insisted on waterproof makeup for the woman as she dabbed at her tearstained cheeks. “I always cry at weddings,” she murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Lenalee replied. “It’s a big day for all of us.”

“But especially you,” chirped Road. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

The music began in the chapel, and Komui hurried to get everyone in position. The golem fluttering by his head reported in Sheril’s voice, “Groom and groomsmen are almost to the alter.”

“Roger that.”

Lenalee suppressed a sigh. The pair had found common ground in creating the perfect wedding, even if their reasons were vastly different. This would be going off without a hitch one way or another.

Everyone’s eyes were on her as Komui walked her down the aisle, but to Lenalee, there was only one person that mattered. Allen, dressed in a tuxedo and bowtie, offered his arm when the approached, and Komui, not-so-stoically holding back tears, handed her off.

It was a long ceremony, seemingly picked out by Sheril to bore everyone to death since the Akuma failed. _Traditional_ he had called it, and try as Lenalee and Allen might, they hadn’t been able to convince him to go with something even a few minutes shorter. When at last the priest reached the vows, they almost missed it. Almost. Timcanpy, hovering nearby and recording everything, gave a subtle bop to Allen’s head with its tail.

“I do,” Allen said.

“And do you, Lenalee Lee, accept this man to be your lawfully wedded husband,” the priest asked her next, “to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Allen lifted the veil—something borrowed from Sheril’s wife—and leaned forward, eyes closed. Lenalee's slid closed too, and she waited.

But the kiss never came. Instead, warm, soft metal met her lips. Two sets of eyes popped open to find Timcanpy between them. The cause? Komui had panicked at the last second, grabbed Tim, and thrown it between them.

Lenalee felt her lip twitch even as she smiled. “Tim? Would you mind?” The golem happily complied with her unspoken request. It launched at her brother and bowled him over.

She turned back to Allen, and this time, they were able to share their first kiss as husband and wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this little fic of mine. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it!


End file.
